The Untold Anthology
by Kakashi500
Summary: A collection of SasuSaku one shots. 07 Scarred II- He averted his gaze, too ashamed to look her in the eyes as she came over to him and knelt down on the ground by his side. "It wasn't your fault Sasuke."
1. Self Destruction

**Self-Destruction**

_-Depression-_**

* * *

**_The hours devour me_  
_ My life's wasted waiting here for you_  
_ There's nothing left of me_  
_ Lost in a void I don't see_  
_ There's nothing left to believe_  
_ The end is now_  
_ I surrender__

* * *

_

_People always say that we all have been through some bad break-ups, that when we get stabbed in the back, we just need to keep moving forward. But what do you do when everything crashes down on you? What do you do when you feel nothing but pain? It seemed like everywhere I turned, my life was falling apart._

_My girlfriend cheated on me, maybe it wouldn't have hurt as bad if the one she cheated on me with wasn't my best friend. There's two betrayals in one, kill two birds with one stone right? I always hated that expression, especially now. The worst part of it is, she didn't have the guts to tell me, I ended up walking in on them undressing each other. Suigetsu and I had gotten into a fight wherein punches and kicks were thrown until we were stopped by one of his friends before they tossed me out of her apartment.  
_

_My so-called friends abandoned me, to them I was nothing, to them I was just trash and they tossed me aside like I was an old book they found behind a shelf. _

_My parents decided to disown me because I didn't want to go into the family business and the night I got into a fight with them about it, they kicked me out of the house and told me never to come back. My brother was no different he got angry at me about the whole fight, I guess its no surprise, he always took our parents side._

_I lost my job because I had a break-down and wasn't focusing at work. I am unemployed, and I'm pretty sure in the next coming months I will be evicted from my apartment, the money I have in my savings will only last for a certain period of time.  
_

_All of this happened about six months ago and because of this I learned to never trust anyone again..._

_I've been tossed aside, stabbed in the back, left alone, I've had just about all I can take. They didn't break me... I am broken..and..I guess I always have been...  
_

_

* * *

_

He held the bottle of beer in his hands and stared at the condensation that trickled down the body of the bottle from the beverage being so cold. His onyx eyes were half-lidded as he stared into the glass, they had grown dull and lifeless over the last month and he could care less what happened to him.

His hands tightened around the bottle as his eyebrows creased into a glare. _Karin._ The thought of his ex-girlfriend angered him, but it also tore him apart, his heart clenched tightly as the familiar pain returned to his chest. A pain he had come to know so well, it was apart of him, pain was his best friend.

The clothing he wore were a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt with a black button up shirt over it, the buttons were undone revealing the white material underneath. The short sleeves revealed his arms, white bandages were wrapped around his arm in several places. They hid a dark secret, one he was ashamed of, but it gave him some form of release. A release from the world he had come to hate, the world that turned its back on him.

Giving a soft sigh he downed the remaining contents of the bottle and left after paying the bartender for the beverage. Normally he would have drank until he no longer had any control of his senses and actions and just passed out in the bar...but tonight wasn't that night. Walking out of the bar he headed down the street as he pocketed his hands, the wind blew through his hair sending a chill down his spine.

As he passed people along the sidewalk, he glared upon seeing a girl and a boy laughing and teasing each other. Behind them were a boy and his parents and they too were teasing him about something that struck a nerve. He wouldn't admit it, but it angered him and worse it made him jealous. He would have had that kind of life, had everyone he knew not abandoned him or stabbed him in the back causing all of this pain he was in everyday.

Quickening his pace he tried to get as far from these people as possible, he didn't need to be reminded of what he lost anymore. There was nothing left for him in this world and the thought of suicide plagued his mind every single night. He lost sleep to these thoughts, and as weak as it sounds, suicide was becoming a more possible escape for him. He wanted out, he wanted it all to end, he didn't want to live day by day watching the world go by while he is constantly left behind.

_I am weak..._

"Look out!" He heard someone yell.

He didn't have enough time to react when a body slammed into him, knocking the wind out of him as he fell to the ground with the person on top of him. He groaned out from the pain as he tried to get his breathing back to normal. The one that had ran into him got up suddenly and sat back on the ground.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry." The female placed her hands against her mouth.

Taking a deep breath, he sat up and placed an arm on his stomach as a wave of dizziness overcame him. When it passed, he looked up to see who had knocked him down and he shook his head at the girl as she continued apologizing. He saw the roller blades on her feet and muttered a curse at being hit by her, her clothing were a pair of black shorts and a pink tank-top, her pink hair was put up into a pony-tail to keep it from blowing in her face as she skated.

"I'm sorry." She said again as she grabbed his arm to help him when he stood up.

He yanked his arm from her which surprised her. "I can get up on my own."

"Sorry." She glared at him.

"Whatever, just get out of my way." He stalked off but she wasn't going to just let him talk to her that way.

She skated over to him and he stopped when she came to stand in front of him. He glared at her but she didn't seem phased by his attitude towards her.

"What is your problem?" She asked him.

"It's none of your damn business." He shot back he tried to walk away from her but she sighed and grabbed his arm.

"Look, I'm sorry, we got off on the wrong foot." She held out her hand. "I'm Sakura."

He looked at her outstretched hand and rolled his eyes. "I'm Sasuke." He said as he refused to shake her hand. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be on my way."

She stopped him again. "What is wrong with you? I'm just trying to be nice."

"Yeah, well that usually doesn't end well for me." He stated.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just forget it." He muttered and looked away from her.

She moved to stand in front of him and when she gazed into his eyes, hers widened. She knew that look, it was one she had seen in her mother's eyes the day her father had left them. "Somebody has hurt you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Your eyes." She said simply. "Now I know why you're acting this way."

"You don't know anything about me." Sasuke turned away from her and when he took a few steps she spoke up.

"I know you built a wall around your self."

He stopped in his tracks and turned to her with a glare on his face. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I don't know."

"Just leave me alone."

Sakura shook her head as he walked away and sighed before continuing to skate home. Just another jerk that she had tried to be nice too, too bad he was one of the cute ones, he would have been a good target for a new boyfriend, or that's what her best friend would say anyway.

"Stupid jerks."

* * *

"Shut up Ino." Sakura frowned as she watered the flowers in her best friends flower shop.

They had taken over ownership of the shop two years ago after Ino's Grandmother passed away. They didn't want it to close because of the business they had with their regular customers, so they opted to continue her Grandmother's work.

"Come on Sakura, you told me this guy was cute, why didn't you ask him out?"

"He was a jerk."

"So that never stopped you before." Ino muttered as she recalled the male Sakura had dated three months ago.

"Yeah well, I'm tired of jerks, and I'm tired of dating them."

When she glanced towards the window she was surprised when she saw Sasuke walk by. Ino followed her friends gaze and she smirked when realized who it must have been. "So was that Sasuke?"

"Yeah." Sakura blushed.

"Oh, this will be fun." Ino smirked and ran from the flower shop as Sakura tried to stop her.

"Hey Sasuke!" Ino yelled as he stopped to look at her.

When he saw Sakura come running up behind the blond he rolled his eyes. He sighed as he got ready to walk away but Ino grabbed his arm as a glared came to his face. He pulled his arm free from her and crossed them across his chest before staring at her.

"What do you want?"

"Would you like to come hang out with us and our friends?"

"Now why would I want to do that?" Sasuke stated in an emotionless tone.

"Oh come on, it will be fun." She grabbed his arm again and pulled him back to the flower shop.

"Let me go." Sasuke demanded but Ino ignored him.

"Hell no, you need to get out more." Ino smirked.

Sakura could see the angry look he was giving her but she didn't notice, that was Ino for you. She did things that made others mad but amused her at the same time, she grinned the whole way back to the shop and didn't pay any attention to the looks Sasuke was giving her. Sasuke on the other hand was getting very annoyed and inwardly, Sakura couldn't help but grin at his facial expressions.

* * *

Sasuke frowned as he sat on a chair in the restaurant Ino had forced him to come to with Sakura and their other friends. Sakura glanced at him from time to time and she was surprised when he sighed with frustration and got up out of his seat. She looked at Ino who gestured for her to follow him and she nodded hesitantly before getting out of her chair and heading out the door to chase after him.

He walked slowly down the side walk until he reached the park where he sat down on the empty bench. He was surprised to hear footsteps and he looked up to see Sakura smiling nervously. Sighing he leaned back and stared at her as she sat down next to him.

"If you're going to tell me to go back, you can forget it."

"Don't worry, I'm not like Ino. I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to." Sakura smiled at him. "Besides, it was getting a little cramped in that restaurant."

"Yeah." He muttered.

She noticed he was in deep thinking and she decided she would try to get to know him better.

"So...you want to explain to me why you have a problem hanging out with people?"

"Sorry, I don't know you enough to reveal that information."

"Right, sorry." She thought for a few seconds. "Well how about, I tell you something about me and then you tell me something about you."

He looked at her and crossed his arms. "Alright, why are you and your friend Ino trying so hard to make me fit in with you and your friends?"

"I told her about our first run in with each other." Sakura explained. "And she thought you just needed some friends."

"That's stupid. All I want is to be left alone."

"My turn." She said with a gentle smile. "Why do you want to be left alone?"

"Because."

"Because why?" She urged him.

"Its the only way I can assure myself that I won't get hurt again."

"Who hurt you?" She asked with concern.

"Everyone." He answered, forgetting that it was his turn to ask her a question.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because, maybe I can help you."

"You think you can help me." He shook his head angrily. "You don't know the first thing about me. I've done so many things that I'm not proud of. My parents disowned me because I didn't want to go into the family business, they won't talk to me no matter how hard I try, my girlfriend cheated on me with my best friend and she didn't regret it and neither did he. I lost my job, I lost my car, I lost everything, and I'm pretty sure that any day now, I will be kicked out of my apartment." He started shaking when he stood up. "I go to a bar several times a week and just drink and drink until my body can't take it anymore. Fact of the matter is I don't care what happens to me."

"Sasuke I-"

"Stop, no one can help me now, not you, not anyone else. I can't handle anymore of this shit I go through every time I get close to someone. I'm done." He turned away.

She was surprised he had spilled all of this out to her, she wanted to make his pain go away despite just recently meeting him. She stood up and shocked him when she wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"I don't want you to feel that way, I will be your friend."

"It doesn't matter what you say, any trust for people I had is gone."

"Just give me a month, if you don't like what happens, then I'll leave you alone for good."

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why should I give you that chance?"

"Because, I'm not like the ones who turned their back on you."

* * *

As the weeks went by, Sasuke found himself warming up to Sakura and seeing her smile whenever she would greet him would make him smile. Normally he would never allow anyone to get close to him, but there was something about her that sparked something in him. Like she awakened the person he used to be before his life fell apart. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was afraid of these feelings, afraid that he would get hurt again.

Now as he stood waiting at the flower shop for her, he felt his heart race. He hasn't felt this way in so long, he knew he was developing feelings for her, but could she feel the same way towards him, would she feel the same way? He had his doubts, but he tried to shake those thoughts away as a certain pink-haired girl ran over to him.

"Hey Sasuke." She grinned as she hugged him.

A blush appeared on his cheeks as Ino, who had tagged along with her best friend, smirked at his noticeably red face. He was just glad that Sakura couldn't see his cheeks right now, because she would surely tease him about it.

When she pulled away from him she grabbed his arm and pulled him down the street to make him have fun. That's what she had been doing since he agreed to give her a chance and he did admit to himself that he was having fun, the most fun he had in a long time.

He was glad that he gave her this chance, and there was something he knew he wanted to ask her, but thought it wasn't the right time, maybe one day soon, but not at the moment. He would just enjoy the time he had with her now.

* * *

After a month and half went by, Sasuke decided he would try to take the next step, he knew it was a long shot and not something he expected himself to do, but he wanted to ask Sakura out. He wanted to be able to be happy again. He had called one of Sakura's friends and asked him where she would usually be hanging around in the evening. He was told she was out with Ino and most likely at the coffee shop, where they normally hung out.

As he headed to the coffee shop, he could feel his heart beating, the flower he held in his hand was perfectly grown, the petals were perfect, the stem straight, a flower any girl would love to receive from a guy. His clothing just all black attire, except for the white shirt he wore underneath his jacket. As he came to the corner he paused when he heard his name come up.

"So what about Sasuke?"

"Ino, he's a great guy but he's not someone I can see myself dating."

Sasuke looked at the single red rose that he had bought for Sakura and leaned against the wall as he continued to listen to the conversation between the two females. He knew whatever she was going to say would end up making him do something he'd later regret but he couldn't bring himself to move. There was a voice nagging at him, telling him that he had to hear the reason for Sakura not wanting to date him.

"Why not?"

_Hear it comes..._

"He's too emotionally damaged, I don't want to deal with that."

_I should have known..._

Clenching his eyes shut he reached his hand up and crushed the rose in his hand before letting the pieces fall to the ground where he stood. The delicate petals had no chance against the anger and sadness that was slowly returning to his already broken heart. He should have expected this, he should have kept the wall up, but being foolish enough to believe that Sakura could be the one, blinded him. Any hope he had of being happy again was thrown out the window.

_I knew it was too good to be true._

_I knew..._

_...it would only end up in heart break..._

He stepped away as quietly as he could and walked away before breaking out into a run.

_If she doesn't want me..._

_...Then I guess nobody does..._

_I'm too emotionally damaged, meaning I'm not good enough for her._

He continued running, not bothering to stop even when rain began to pour down on him.

_Then again..._

_I'm not good enough for anyone..._

Sakura and Ino stood up to go inside the coffee house since it began to rain and they didn't want to get wet. Ino was very picky about how she looked and she didn't want to add wet and flat hair to her fashion statement.

"Sakura, you can't always think like that."

"Why can't I?"

"Because, Sasuke could be the one for you and you're just going to let him go."

"What makes you even think he likes me?" Sakura asked her best friend.

"You are so blind, I see the way he looks at you when you're not paying attention, I saw the way he tries to hide the blush whenever you came in contact with him, and most of all, I see how he smiles at you when you greet him with one of your own."

"Yeah but-"

"Tell me the truth Sakura." Ino cut her off. "What would you say if he asked you out?"

"W-what?" She stuttered.

"I'm serious Sakura, what would you say?"

_I don't know._

* * *

Sasuke frowned as he taped a letter to Sakura's apartment door, he knew she wasn't home and that he was grateful for. He walked away as he remembered taping a similar letter to his parent's front door. He knew what he was going to do, and the metallic object that he had at home in his nightstand drawer was going to help him with that unless Sakura or his parents stopped him but he doubted they would even care. It was still raining but at this point he didn't give a shit, so he just walked through it and let it soak his clothes.

He watched the cars on the street as they drove by and glared at the thought of all of the people who had a better life than he did. In his mind, he hated them. He hated them because they had what they wanted, but what did he have, a broken heart and a family that didn't want anything to do with him? It isn't exactly something that encouraged anyone to want to live. Shaking his head he headed back to his apartment not giving anything else another thought.

_This could be it..._

* * *

"Come on Ino!" Sakura yelled at her friend as they ran up to the apartment Sakura stayed in.

It was still raining and at the moment the rain had gotten a lot heavier compared to when they were at the coffee house. Sakura managed to unlock the door quickly and push it open so they both could rush inside, but as she shut the door behind her, a small white envelope fell to the floor near a table that sat by the front door, but in her haste to enter her home she didn't notice it.

Ino went to grab two towels so they could dry off as Sakura went to her room to get a change of clothes for each of them. She grabbed a pair of black sweats and a pink shirt for her, and a pair of gray sweats and a black shirt for her friend.

After they had changed, they decided to sit in the living room to chat until the storm passed, if it ever did that is. Ino yawned as she glanced at her phone and the text she had received from her boyfriend.

"Shikamaru won't be able to pick me up, its raining heavily and he doesn't want to risk getting into a car accident."

"Well you're welcome to stay here." Sakura smiled which Ino returned.

"Thanks." She set her phone onto the coffee table and leaned back on the couch to look at her friend.

"So you never answered my question earlier." Ino smirked.

Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"Its not like I haven't thought about dating him, I just...I don't know

"Oh come on Sakura, he's a sweet guy, he may have a bad past but that doesn't mean you should just give up on him."

"I know, I know." Sakura muttered as the question kept echoing in her head.

* * *

Sasuke glanced at the bottles of beer before him on the table as he slid to the ground with one in his hand, the eviction notice he received in the male had been tossed to the floor with the rest of the mail. He leaned against the couch and removed the bottle cap before taking a swig of it and set it back on the table in his living room. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearing midnight and still no one came. Licking his dry lips, he grabbed the bottle again and downed the rest of the bottle before reaching for another one.

As he lifted it to his lips, his eyes caught the site of the metallic weapon next to the remaining beer bottles. He had it for a few years, it was to be used for protection but right now the purpose of that gun could change. His eyes were bloodshot, whether from lack of sleep or some unknown reason, he didn't seem to notice, all he focused his attention on was the clock, the gun and the beer he had in his hand.

"I've been cursed to live a life of pain and I'm suffering because of the ones I've come to know." He muttered angrily to himself.

Minutes passed as he continued to drown out his senses with countless bottles of alcohol, not only was he feeling empty but he could feel the nausea from the consumption of all the beer hit him. It wasn't long until the clock's hands reached twelve thirty, and he stood up as his blood boiled. His anger was reaching its highest peak and without thinking he flipped the coffee table over, sending the gun and all of the beer bottles to the floor.

The glass broke upon making contact with the tiled floor and Sasuke could only yell in frustration.

"What the hell did I do to deserve this?"

He grabbed a piece of the broken glass and gritted his teeth as he dug it into his arm. He dragged it upwards until he reached the crease in his arm as blood spilled from the new inflicted wound, he gritted his teeth as he felt his eyes sting with tears that he hadn't cried in a long time.

"Is this what you want from me?" He shouted at the ceiling. "Is this what you want me to do?"

He sank to his knees as he dropped the glass shard to the floor and clutched his head in his hands. The tears finally escaped his eyes as he looked up when he remembered the gun that he had. He grabbed it and placed it against his head, he felt no fear as he pressed it harder against his temple.

"I can't take it anymore!"

_I can't...

* * *

_

"Alright, I think it's time for bed." Sakura stood up to stretch after she switched off the tv once the movie was over.

"Yeah, it's late and the rain still hasn't let up, guess you're stuck with me." Ino grinned.

"Haha. Could you check the front door and make sure its locked?" She asked the blond. "I'm going to put the dishes in the sink." She grabbed the two bowls, which previously held the soup they had eaten for dinner.

"Sure thing pinky." She laughed and jumped from the couch.

She walked over to the door but paused where her foot kicked something. She glanced down and picked up a white envelope, she turned to head into the kitchen.

"Hey Sakura." Ino called her as she walked up to her.

"Yeah?"

"I found this by the door."

She held out her hand which held the envelope and Sakura took it from her, she saw her name scribbled on the front so she flipped it over to open it. When she pulled out the slip of paper she set the envelope on the counter and unfolded the piece of paper. She glanced down to see who it was from and saw Sasuke's name at the end of it.

"It's from Sasuke."

"Well read it out loud."

"Sakura." She began as she spoke loud enough for her friend to hear. "I overheard you and Ino talking today at the coffee shop...I didn't think you were the kind of person who wouldn't want date someone like me, you know emotionally damaged." She swallowed before continuing. "The fact of the matter is, I _was_ falling for you and I really thought you would be the one to save me, but I guess I was wrong."

"Go on." Ino urged her and she briefly noticed the tears in her friends eyes.

"You might change your mind but I'll probably be gone by the time you do. I will be at my apartment tonight and just after midnight, it will all be over." Sakura's eyes widened. "If you do want me, you can try to stop me from possibly making the biggest mistake of my life, but if you don't, just let me die."

"Oh my god!" Sakura yelled as she glanced at the clock, it was already passed midnight.

Ino who already knew what she was going to do rushed to grab the keys to her friends car and they both bolted from the apartment. Ino decided she would drive since Sakura was in the middle of a panic attack.

"Hurry up!" Sakura yelled at her as Ino fumbled with the keys.

When she finally started the engine she sped off down the road as she followed Sakura's directions to get to Sasuke's place. She held her hands together to silently pray to herself and clenched her eyes shut.

_Please Sasuke!

* * *

_

It felt like forever for her, but when they finally arrived at Sasuke's apartment, Sakura ran from the car and sprinted to Sasuke's front door. She heard yelling inside as she forced her way in and Sasuke turned to the source just as his finger pulled the trigger.

"SASUKE!" She screamed as blood splattered everywhere and his body tumbled to the floor. "NO!"

Sakura ran over to him and lifted him up into her arms as his blood seeped into her clothes, his eyes were closed as he lay in her arms unmoving. She cradled his head against her chest as she ignored the blood that continued to spill from his body. Ino ran inside and she covered her mouth as a gasp escaped her lips.

"Call 911!" Sakura yelled, but she knew better. She knew he would never open his eyes again.

Ino didn't hesitate to call as Sakura let out uncontrollable sobs. Ino jumped when three other people ran into the apartment she turned to them and noticed it was a female and two males. The younger male wore a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt, the older man dressed in a brown suit without the jacket which left him in the white shirt. The woman wore a black shirt with black dress pants and when she entered she ran to Ino.

"Where is Sasuke?"

Ino looked at her as tears came to her eyes before she glanced at her best friend who was still holding Sasuke in a tight embrace. The woman followed her gaze and her eyes widened before running over to them. She knelt down as Sakura cried out for him.

"Sasuke please don't leave me!"

She pulled him close before leaning away to stare down at his face. Without thinking she pressed her lips to his and her heart ached knowing he would never be able to return it. When she moved away from his lips, she turned to look at the woman who had come running over to her as tears fell down her cheeks

"Why did he do this?" Sakura cried out.

But she knew...it was a question that wouldn't be answered.

* * *

_They say that loved ones who have passed on can still hear the voices of the living. Even if they are far away, our voices will carry on to the afterlife, where hopefully they will get our message. Visiting their grave can increase the chance of them hearing what you want to say to them and I just hope my voice broke through the border between this world and the next. _

_After Sasuke's death, I tried to move on, I didn't start dating again until a year after his funeral. But even then, no one could fill the hole that was left after he died. Now its been five years since then and I visit his grave everyday with my four year old son, who I adopted a year ago. I named him Sasuke because I want Sasuke's name to carry on so he would never be forgotten, we live in a two bedroom apartment with our new puppy and kitten. I am a single mother still looking for that one guy, but I don't think I will find him._

_Because Sasuke was the one..._

_And even if he is no longer part of this world..._

_I can still feel him in my heart...  
_

_

* * *

_

Everyone wants to be someone else.  
It's hard to love when you can't love yourself...

* * *

**A/N So...did it suck?** **I think it did... *sigh* oh well, I was bored and in a very sour mood, hope you guys don't hate me for writing this, especially the ending. :(**

**Please read and review and let me know what you think.  
**


	2. Heartache I

**Heartache**

_-Regret-_

_(Part One)_

_

* * *

_

_I'm not such a strong man  
That love can't make me weak  
You're walkin' out the door  
And it's hurting me so deep

* * *

_

"Oh girl, can you believe we used to dress that way?" A perky blond woman asked her pink haired friend as they flipped through the pages of their high school yearbook. "I'm mean come on Sakura, these outfits are ridiculous."

"I know Ino." Sakura giggled beside her friend as they sat at Ino's apartment in the living room. "What the hell were we trying to prove wearing those short shorts and skin-tight blouses?"

Sakura let out a giggle again as she tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. She still wore the red scrubs from her shift at the hospital where she worked as a nurse in the maternity ward. Her best friend Ino, who owned her own bridal shop, wore a pair of blue jeans and a dark purple blouse. They were currently looking at their senior pictures from high school, which included one of Ino's fiancé, Shikamaru and several of their friends.

When Sakura turned the page a certain picture caught her eye. It was one of a male with raven-black hair, his face was one Sakura would never forget, he was the one she had turned down when he asked her to go with him to their senior prom. To this day she has regretted saying no to him.

"His picture caught your eye huh?" Ino said as her eyes scanned over the male. The glasses he wore were black, didn't do his handsome face justice.

"He may have been a nerd back in high school, but he was one of the cute ones." Sakura sighed. "But being a stupid popular teen back then I judged him for what he was instead of who he was."

"Do you regret saying no?"

"Everyday." She smiled bitterly. "I wonder what he's doing now, I wonder if he's this remarkable scientist that I pictured he would be."

"Well, we'll find out in a month at the high school reunion." Ino grinned.

"I still can't believe it's been ten years since we graduated high school," Sakura stated with a smile on her face.

_What are you doing now Sasuke...?_

* * *

"Shit," A male cursed as gunfire showered around him before he pulled a handgun from the gun holster attached to his thigh.

He raised it and released a bullet from the steel encasing as it rocketed into the leg of one of his enemies. He ducked to the ground as he turned to his partner who had a hold of their wounded comrade. This rescue mission had gone downhill the minute they infiltrated the hidden compound where he was held. Someone had to have leaked information to them; but now wasn't the time to worry about that, he had to provide cover for his teammates so they could escape.

"Naruto, get ready to run once I open fire on them."

"But Sasuke-"

"No buts, Juugo won't last another minute out here, especially with the temperature dropping by the second."

With those odds, Naruto knew he couldn't argue, instead he gave a reluctant nod as Sasuke gestured with a hand signal that told Naruto a van was waiting for them down the road. Sasuke tugged his black jacket closer to his body he holstered the handgun and reached to his side to bring the AK-47 around and gripped it in his gloved hands.

Sasuke gave a nod to his partner as the blond male returned it. A gust of wind caused them to wait a few more seconds, Sasuke sighed irritably as his raven-black hair whipped his face before he stood and fired shots towards the men that were looking for them. He ran from his cover and led them away from Naruto and Juugo. He dodged their shots but he felt a few graze his cheek and his leg.

When he glanced down he saw the tear in his pants and realized that the bullet had grazed his leg. He ignored it for now and continued to unload his gun on the men firing back at him. When he ducked behind a truck, Naruto's voice came through the communicator in his ear.

"Sasuke we're in the van, get your ass over here!"

"I'm in kind of a jam right now," Sasuke muttered into the receiver, "Just get out of here."

"No, I'm not leaving you behind!" Naruto assured him. "Head our way."

Sasuke sighed as he took off into a sprint, he felt the bullets at his back and he could swear he felt one pierce his shoulder.

"Shit!"

"What's wrong?"

"I'm hit."

"Where?"

"My shoulder."

"Hang on I'm coming to get you."

"Don't bother, I'm almost to your position."

He speed up his pace until the van came into view. Naruto got out of the back and helped him into the vehicle before he jumped in and slammed the doors shut as bullets struck the doors.

"Go!" Sasuke yelled at the driver.

The van jerked forward as Sasuke clenched his teeth and removed his jacket and then preceded to take off the black turtleneck shirt he wore. Naruto glanced at his shoulder before he brought out the emergency kit.

"Dude we need to get that bullet out."

"No shit." Sasuke cursed, "Give me a knife, I'll have to dig it out."

"But what about getting it infected."

"Then douse the blade with alcohol from the emergency kit," He gritted through his teeth as Naruto nodded quickly.

He handed Sasuke the blade after he poured the alcohol on it, Sasuke shook his head and clenched his teeth as he dug the blade into his wound.

* * *

"Sakura, I swear you were in love with him, you've been staring at his picture ever since we found that yearbook."

"Oh shut up Ino!" Sakura muttered as a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Hell no," Ino giggled.

"Well I can't help it, I feel like he was the one that got away."

"Because you let him, Sakura why did you turn him down anyway?" Ino asked as she sat next to her friend at the kitchen table.

"I don't know, I think it was because of our social status, but now I'm realizing how stupid I was back then."

"Well maybe you'll rekindle that at the reunion."

"Yeah right, he's probably already married to a beautiful woman with children that he loves to death."

"Not necessarily," Ino smiled, "Hinata said that Sasuke is still single."

"How does she know that?"

"Duh, her husband is Sasuke's best friend."

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot," Sakura said with a smile, "But I don't think he'll forgive me." Her smile faded.

"You never know, I don't think Sasuke is the type to hold a grudge anyway."

She glanced back at the photo of Sasuke and bit her lip. "I hope he can forgive me, I just wish I said yes to him back then."

Ino heard her phone ring as she went to answer it. Sakura tapped her fingers on the table as she thought of what she would say to Sasuke at their reunion. Would he be mad? Would he be over her? She knew he had been infatuated with her in high school, but did he still have those feelings?

She looked up when Ino came back. "That was Hinata, she said that Naruto told her Sasuke wasn't coming to the reunion."

* * *

"Oh come on man, you can't not go, this is a once in a lifetime thing."

"I'm not going, high school was hell for me, I refuse to go back."

Naruto seemed to figure out what was really going on. "That isn't what this is about, you're afraid to see Sakura, aren't you?"

Sasuke turned away from him.

"That's what it is isn't it?"

"Just drop it Naruto," Sasuke gritted through his teeth as he placed a hand against his shoulder where he was shot only two days before.

"No I won't drop it, ever since we graduated high school, you have become a cold-hearted person, you won't let anyone close to you.

"Yeah and your lucky I'm even still friends with you," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto was taken aback at his statement. "Sasuke what the hell is wrong with you, Sakura turned you down, so what?"

"You weren't there when she bumped into one of her popular guy friends, she told him I asked her to go to the dance with me, he laughed and started making jokes," Sasuke stated as he shook his head.

"So what, he was a jerk, Sakura isn't like them."

"I thought so too until she joined in with him, she began mocking me like he did."

That surprised him. "You can't let them get to you."

"I didn't care if it was the others, I just let it go, but when Sakura did it, it just hurt more than anything." Sasuke walked over to his bed and sat down on it. "I thought I could trust her since she was your girlfriend's friend, but after that I just…" He trailed off.

"Sasuke that was ten years ago, Sakura has changed just as you have."

"Yeah, but it won't change the fact that she did it."

Naruto sighed and headed toward the door. "You need to get over it Sasuke."

"Easy for you to say, it didn't happen to you."

Then the blond was gone.

* * *

"You have to be kidding me Naruto."

"No I'm not Sakura, what you did back then really hurt him," He stated with certainty.

"Damn it, I didn't think he was there." Sakura put a hand to her mouth, before she looked to Naruto and removed it. "I have to talk to him, where does he live?"

"It'll be a miracle if you get him to talk."

"Please Naruto, tell me where he lives," Sakura pleaded to him.

"Alright." Naruto nodded. "But I have to warn you, he isn't the same person he was back then."

He wrote down Sasuke's address onto a piece of paper that Hinata had given to him, and before she left to go talk to him, Naruto made her promise him one thing.

"Please don't hurt him again."

* * *

Sasuke worked on striking the punching bag in his training room when he heard the doorbell of his home sound loudly. His shoulder stung from the intense workout he was putting it through but he ignored the burning he felt. He breathed out a sigh as he stretched, the muscles in his chest rippled from the movement. His chest was bare as he walked towards the front door after grabbing a towel and tossing it over his shoulder to hide the bandage.

When he opened the door he was about to yell at the person for disturbing him but when he saw that pink hair his breath left him. His eyes wide as he felt a chill run up his spine.

Sakura didn't know what to think when Sasuke opened the door without a shirt on. Not that she minded the eye candy, his well toned abs and upper arm muscles were a girl's fantasy. It took all of her self-control not to jump him right then and there.

"Sakura." Sasuke voice came in a strained whisper.

His voice brought her out of her stupefied state as she shyly looked to the ground. "Uh, can I come in?"

Without a word, he stepped back as she walked into his home. He closed the door and walked to his room to grab a black t-shirt. After he slipped it on, he headed into the living room and leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.

"Want to tell me what you're doing here?" His tone was devoid of any emotion and Sakura realized what Naruto meant when he said he wasn't the same person.

"I heard you weren't going to come to the reunion next month." She bit her lip and looked up to meet his gaze.

He shrugged and pushed himself from the wall. "I don't really prefer large groups of people."

"Liar," She muttered as her voice cracked, "You're not going because of me, because of what you over heard all those years ago after you asked me to the dance."

"Naruto spit more information than he should have." Sasuke glared.

"Don't blame Naruto, I would have found out sooner or later anyway."

"I highly doubt that," Sasuke retorted.

"Sasuke, I'm so sorry."

"It's too late for apologies," He stated grimly, "I can't say I do forgive you, or I don't forgive you, because I just don't care anymore, I'm better off alone."

"Don't say that!" Sakura yelled, "It's not fair, that happened in high school, I can't even remember doing it."

"That's because your conscious is clear, you didn't know I was there, but it will never leave my mind."

"Damn it! Stop!" Sakura ran to him and clutched his shirt in her petite hands. "I'm sorry, why isn't that good enough for you?"

"If you were me, you would understand, but you're not, so you never will."

Sakura looked up at him as the tears that blurred her vision threatened to fall. Her tears didn't faze him as he looked away, he knew he should apologize for acting like such a cold bastard but he couldn't bring himself to.

"Sakura I just-" He was cut short from a sudden pain in his neck.

He reached up to clutch the sore spot and he ended up pulling a tranquilizer dart from his skin. His eyes widened when Sakura looked at him worriedly.

"Sasuke? What is that?"

"S-Sakura, run," He said as he glanced at her before collapsing to the floor.

"Sasuke!" She knelt down to him just as the door burst open and several men filed in with guns raised.

"Don't move!"

Sakura raised her hands in surrender as one of the men came towards her. She trembled as he glanced at her before turning to stare at Sasuke.

"Grab them both," He ordered the men that were with him, "The boss can't wait to talk to this one." He nudged Sasuke with his foot.

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Sakura demanded to know as she shifted in the back of the black van she was in.

The men just ignored her as she let out a shaky breath and glanced at Sasuke who was still unconscious. She moved over to his side and grabbed his hand and held it in hers. "Sasuke please wake up." She bit her lip. "I'm scared," She admitted quietly to him, "I don't know what to do."

Her heart began to beat faster when the van came to a stop, the men got out of the van and opened the back as the others who followed in a car dragged her out. She turned towards Sasuke as he was pulled out and shoved to the ground, the one who drove the van knelt down and cuffed Sasuke's hands together. "Looks like he's starting to come to."

"Should we give him another dose of the tranquilizer?" Another guy asked.

"No, the boss want him to be awake so he can talk to him."

Sakura heard Sasuke groan as he was picked up off the ground and dragged towards the warehouse. "Where are they taking him?"

"You'll see, you're going as well, Orochimaru likes to have an audience."

"An audience for what?"

"For when he tortures his victims of course." The man gave a sinister smile.

Sakura felt her heart race, they were going to torture Sasuke right in front of her? At that moment, she wanted to cry, she was afraid of what she would see. Who the hell were these guys and why did they want to hurt Sasuke? They grabbed her and pushed her towards the warehouse, when they entered the building she was forced to sit down on a chair as Sasuke was lifted up to a hook and raised a foot off the ground.

She saw the cuffs digging into his wrists as he hung from the hook. "Let him go!"

"Shut up!" One of the bastards yelled at her and she had to resist the urge to jump from her chair to attack him herself.

Sasuke looked at her and sent her a warning stare which told her he was fully aware of what was going on. It made her wonder, did he know these guys? What connection did he have with them? After about ten minutes a man in a black suit entered the building, his long black hair contrasted with the pale tone of his skin color.

"Well Sasuke, how have you been? Last time I saw you was when you broke into my compound to rescue your friend." He chuckled. "How's the shoulder?"

"I'll live," He retorted, "It wasn't the first time I've been shot and I doubt it will be the last."

"Well you're right about that," Orochimaru chuckled as he pulled a handgun from his jacket and raised it towards Sasuke.

A shot rang out as Sakura screamed when she saw Sasuke cringe with pain. His leg was bleeding from the contact the bullet made but he refused to show weakness and forced himself not to think about the throbbing in his leg and clenched his teeth.

"Just a little insurance, if you manage to get down from there, I can't have you running away," He snickered.

"That just tells me you have no faith in the people you hire," Sasuke smirked despite the pain he was in.

Orochimaru ignored him and turned to the man standing by Sasuke. "Let's go ahead and start interrogating him." He smirked. "Get me the branding iron."

"You can't do that!" Sakura yelled.

"Would you rather take his place?"

She silenced herself not knowing what to say to that.

"Sakura, stay out of this, it has nothing to do with you," Sasuke ordered.

"You expect me to sit her and watch them kill you?" Her eyes widened as she looked at him.

"As long as you stay out of it."

"I may love watching the two of you bicker, but I have a job to do." Orochimaru held up the branding iron, the shape was a snake head with sharp fangs, Sasuke felt his heart race when he saw the design glowing red and he knew just how hot it was.

Reaching his hand up, Orochimaru tore Sasuke's shirt in the front and pulled it so his torso was exposed and Sakura saw the white bandage that was visible under the black cloth. "Ready for this Sasuke?" He chuckled as he raised the branding iron to Sasuke's chest.

Just as Orochimaru was about to make contact with the iron, Sasuke swung his foot out and knocked the branding iron from his hand before kicking him across the face. Orochimaru hissed and stumbled back as he looked up and glared at Sasuke.

"Kill him!" He ordered.

Before they had a chance to draw their guns, Sasuke gritted his teeth and twisted his body forcefully and snapped the cuffs before he dropped to the ground. He spun around when one of the men charged at him and ducked before a punch made contact with his face. He swept the man's feet out from under him and moved towards Sakura. He clothes-lined the man next to her and grabbed her arm to force her too her feet after he grabbed the handgun from the man on the ground.

He pushed her to make her fun as gun fire sounded behind them.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked as Sasuke grabbed her hand when he sped up his pace.

"At the moment, away from the guys with the guns." He raised his gun behind him and shot once.

It didn't take her to realize that he was limping but he still managed to stay on his feet. Her medical instincts were kicking in and she wanted to stop to wrap up his leg from the wound. She looked up at him when he turned back to glance behind them and she noticed the pain that was written on his face.

"Sasuke you're hurt."

"I'll live."

"Not if you continue bleeding that way," She argued as he forced open a door and shoved her inside before slamming it shut.

He leaned against the door and slid to the ground as his lungs burned. The throb of pain he felt in his leg and his shoulder was more than obvious to Sakura she knelt down to him. He shrugged what was left of his shirt off his shoulder to check the wound, satisfied that the stitches hadn't come out he covered back up with the shirt. He reached into his boot and pulled out a knife and used that to cut opened his pant leg to look at the wound.

"How long do we have before they find us?"

"Not long, its a miracle they didn't see us duck in here."

She looked at him and saw the indecision on his face. "What are you going to do?"

"I have to get the bullet out to stop the bleeding," He said as he raise the knife and she realized what he was doing.

"You can't do that!"

"Sshh," He hushed her, "Do you want them to hear you?"

"Sorry, but that knife will cause so much damage."

"The bullet will do more than that if I don't get it out," He stated, "Besides, if done right, it'll be fine."

"Then let me do it," She said when he looked at her, "I have medical experience and know where to stop if I think its to far in."

"You sure you can do it."

She nodded and took the knife from his hand. "I've done this before, only the one I had done it to was unconscious."

"What are you a doctor? Nurse? Specialist?"

"I work in the maternity ward at the hospital, but I am fully capable of performing this, my teacher made sure I had more than enough experience for several medical tasks." She glanced at him as he nodded. "I just don't want to hurt."

"Believe me, I've done this before, I had to dig a bullet from my shoulder without anything to numb the pain, so this isn't unfamiliar territory to me," He stated with assurance as she nodded.

"I just wish I had something to sterilize the wound with, alcohol or something."

"We don't have time, they could find us any minute."

Despite her medical instincts telling her to stop and find something, she knew he was right. There was nothing more she could do but try to keep focus and hope she wasn't making a huge mistake. When she was sure Sasuke was ready she took a deep breath and touched the knife to his skin just as banging sounded on the door.

* * *

"What do you mean he's gone?"

Naruto sighed with a shaky breath. "His home seems to have been broken into Kakashi, Sakura's purse is here and I found a tranquilizer dart." He bit his lip. "Someone definitely broke in, the door is busted too."

"Damn it," Kakashi cursed, "We need to find him, now, with a civilian involved this has priority over everything else."

"Yes sir."

"Try to find any clues, I'll have Lee and Kiba see what they can dig up."

"Alright." He shut his phone and glanced around the house.

_Damn it, where are you guys?

* * *

_

The banging continued as Sasuke took the knife from her and wiped any blood from it and shoved it back in his boot. He forced himself to stand as he limped towards the back of the room looking for anything that would help them after tucking the gun in his waistband. He looked up and spotted an air duct, it looked wide enough for someone to crawl through. Thinking quickly, he pulled a chair he found by the wall, under the air duct and climbed onto the plastic seat hoping it would hold under his weight.

He pulled the grate off the duct and hauled himself up to peer inside, he gave a sigh of relief when he saw that it was wide enough for a human to move through. He lowered himself back down and ushered Sakura over with his hand. She did so without hesitation and grabbed his outstretched hand as he lifted her with ease to help her up into the duct. She turned to him as she felt tears come to her eyes.

"Get out of here as fast as you can, I'll distract them as long as I can."

"No! I'm not leaving you behind!" She argued loudly. "Come on, we can both escape."

"Sakura at this point, only one of us can get out."

"Why are they after you anyway? Nothing makes any sense."

"It will, find Naruto, he can explain it."

"I can't just leave you," She pleaded, "Please Sasuke, come with me."

"You know I can't do that Sakura." He reached to place his hand against her cheek. "Besides, the wound in my leg will only slow us down."

Sakura saw a different man than who she knew in high school. This Sasuke possessed the strength and power needed to hold his own. When his hand touched her cheek, she could feel the roughness of his skin as his thumb traced her lip. This was definitely not the same high school nerd she knew ten years ago and she regretted everything she may have said that upset him. He had changed a lot over the years, but so had she, so she made a vow.

"I will come back for you, I'm not going to let you die, just hang on until I get help."

"I'll try, but the odds aren't in my favor," He deadpanned as he reached to his back to pull out the gun he had tucked into the waistband of his jeans and handed it to her. "Take this, only use it when you have to, it has about four shots left."

"But Sasuke-"

"No buts, just do as I say alright? I've got this, I wasn't born with smarts for nothing." He smirked.

She bit her lip. "Sasuke," She called him as he looked up at her.

Leaning forward she placed a soft kiss on his lips and she was surprised when he kissed her back. There were so many emotions running through his mind as well as hers as her lips caressed his in slow gentle movements. When she pulled away she smiled sadly. "For luck."

"For luck." He repeated as he closed the grate finally separating them. "Get out of here while you can."

He kicked the chair aside and turned just as the door burst open. He raised his hands in surrender when they raised their guns at him before Orochimaru filed in behind them. "Where's the girl?"

Sasuke remained silent as Orochimaru growled and stepped forward to circle Sasuke's position. "You know the consequences, don't you?" But still he remained silent.

Orochimaru growled and pulled something from his pocket. Sakura had to hold back her scream as a taser was placed against Sasuke's side, she felt tears come to her eyes as he yelled out with pain as the volts shot through his body. He fell to his knees before collapsing onto his side as Orochimaru knelt down to him. "This is only the beginning Sasuke, I will find the organization you are working for if I have to kill you." With that he placed the taser against Sasuke's side again as he groaned from the pain and clenched his teeth. "Don't worry, I won't kill you just yet."

With those last words Sasuke's sight darkened.

_Sakura I know you're still there...just leave me...just leave...

* * *

_

_Don't cry for me baby, I'll be back with you one day soon_  
_ Don't cry for me baby, I'll be back soon_

_

* * *

_

**A/N: This will be one of five stories that has two parts to it, this is the first.**

**P.S: Sorry I haven't updated in forever, but with work and losing internet awhile back I haven't been able to get online. Formula For Disaster will be updated by Thursday follow by The Rich Kid and possibly The Asylum.  
**


	3. Heartache II

**Heartache**

_-Vulnerable-_

_(Part Two)_

* * *

_Don't let it take your smile_  
_ Don't let it burn your soul_  
_ I know it's not easy_  
_ But I won't let you die alone  
_

* * *

It took her about an hour but Sakura finally managed to escape from the building, as she ran from the warehouse, her heart ached. She was leaving him behind, what if she couldn't get help from Naruto in time? Would it be too late? With a sigh she forced herself to think positive, Sasuke could handle himself, he would handle himself, but...for how long?

She continued running, her lungs burned from the strain but she couldn't stop now, for all she knew someone was following her. Getting to Sasuke's place was the best bet she had, she would call Naruto from there hopefully he could gather a team that would help them.

When Sasuke's place finally came into view she ran through the busted door and looked around for a phone, she growled with frustration when she couldn't find one. She was about to leave when a picture caught her eye, it was of Naruto and Sasuke, and Sasuke was actually smiling, it broke her heart, would he ever smile like that again?

"Damn it." She cursed herself. "I shouldn't have left him alone."

* * *

"Yeah, someone entered the house, I couldn't see who it was though."

"Alright, Naruto." Kakashi responded through the radio. "You guys ready."

"Check." Neji stated.

"Check." Lee threw in.

"Check." Shikamaru muttered lazily.

"Let's move out."

The five of them got out of the vehicles that were placed around the neighborhood and with guns raised they entered the house. Naruto was the first to enter and he walked up behind the person. "Put your hands up!"

The figure jumped and spun around as they screamed. Naruto was taken by surprise when a fist met his face and he stumbled back. "Damn it, I know that punch anywhere." Naruto looked up as she walked into the light and he saw her face.

"Naruto?" She asked.

"Where the hell have you been?" Naruto demanded.

"Well excuse me for not being able to get in contact because I was snatched."

He ignored her. "Where's Sasuke?"

"He's got him."

"Who?"

"Some guy named Orochimaru."

Naruto looked as if the wind had been knocked out of him and his panicked look made her own heart race. "What?"

"Fuck." Kakashi cursed.

"We have to go help him."

"We can't."

"Why the hell not?" She demanded.

"Sasuke made us promise not to."

"What?" She asked shocked.

"Orochimaru has had it in for Sasuke for some time now, Sasuke made us swear that if Orochimaru ever got a hold of him, we wouldn't go after him."

Sakura looked as if someone had slapped her, she felt anger towards all of them. "You're going to just let him die?"

"I made a promise to him Sakura, he knew this day was coming, he knew it when he met Orochimaru for the first time."

"Naruto he's your best friend!" She yelled at him. "You can't abandon him!"

Sakura shook her head and made a move towards the door. "Where are you going?" Naruto asked her.

"You may willing to leave him there, but I already turned my back on him once, I won't do it again." She ran from the house as Naruto tried to grab her but he missed and raced after her.

When he managed to grab a hold of her arms she jerked free and slapped him. He was taken aback as he placed a hand against his cheek and when he looked into her eyes, he could see the determination she held.

"I won't let him die," She said as she clenched her fists.

"It'll be too late," Naruto tried to reason with her.

"Then at least he won't die alone."

Then she was running again, he knew he couldn't stop her, she was resourceful, she would do anything to help someone else. If he did catch her, she would find a way to escape and he knew then that he had no other choice. Kakashi came over to him and he was thinking the same thing.

"You know we can't let her go alone." Naruto said as he looked at Kakashi.

"Let's gather the guys, this is now a rescue operation."

* * *

Sakura ran into her home and threw the gun onto the counter before she went to her room to change from the shorts she was wearing. Grabbing a pair of black jeans and a black tank top she changed quickly and went into the bathroom to put her hair into a pony tail after slipping on a pair of black shoes. When she was satisfied she went to her closet and reached up to the shelf to grab a metal box, when she opened the lock she pulled out a Sig Sauer P220 Match .45 ACP. It was a gift from her father, who was a gun maniac, he made sure she was always protected, she just never thought she would actually use it.

She tucked it into the waistband of her pants like Sasuke had done and reached back into the box to pull out the extra ammo she had. She grabbed her keys on her way out the door and ran to her car, she was in this no matter what. She would save Sasuke if it was the last thing she did.

"If Naruto won't help him, I will."

Once the engine roared to life, she pulled out of her driveway unaware of the two black vans that were following her.

* * *

"Are you going to tell me?" Orochimaru slashed the knife across Sasuke's cheek but he still refused to speak.

Sasuke had been through this time and time again, torture was something he had come to expect in his line of work. Despite the severe pain he was in, he didn't say a word, his loyalty to his team was something that would never be broken. He remembered the night he made all of them promise that no matter what happened, if he was ever captured again, they wouldn't come to help him. He wouldn't let anyone die trying to save him, it was exactly what his brother had done, and now he was gone, Sasuke never stopped blaming himself.

He felt his chest tighten when he recalled the night he held his dying brother in his arms. Even until death he still smiled and said that it was the duty of the older brother to protect his younger sibling. It was the night Sasuke had cried himself dry, after he was forced to let his brother go, he went home and drank and drank until he lay on his bed gazing at the ceiling. He watched the room spin for hours on end, trying to grasp the reality of his brother's death, not even his parents could pull him from the dark hole he had fallen into.

He used to smile, he used to laugh, but all of that changed on that one fateful night when his brother tried to protect him. He vowed he would never let anyone risk their life from him again, which was why he made his team promise him, hopefully they would keep it.

The feeling of a knife slicing into his skin brought him back to reality when he grunted and saw Orochimaru grinning. He held the knife in his shoulder, tearing the stitches from his previous wound. Sasuke couldn't hold back the pain in his voice as he groaned. With his hands tied behind the chair he was sitting on, he couldn't fight back or pull the blade that was tearing his shoulder to shreds.

"Just tell me what I want to know, I'll let you live, maybe even let you join my ranks." He leaned towards Sasuke's face to look into his eyes.

"Fuck you." Sasuke grunted. "I would never betray my comrades, you can go to hell!" Then he thrust his head forward and head-butted him.

Orochimaru hissed and turned away. "Take him to the docks."

"What for sir?"

"We're going to let him drown." He growled as he wiped away the blood from his nose, courtesy of Sasuke's little maneuver.

* * *

Sakura watched the building from the shadows as she saw three men pull Sasuke from the building and shoved him into a van, along with a couple of chains. Orochimaru followed them in a car as they headed towards the edge of the city. She noticed they were heading towards the docks and her eyes widened. Just as she was about to follow after them someone tapped on her window which caused her to let out a scream. She turned and saw it was Naruto.

"Shit Naruto," She said when she rolled down the window. "What are you doing here?"

"You think I'm going to let you go save that asshole by yourself." He grinned. "Besides, you're right, I don't want to turn my back on him."

She frowned. "Well if we don't get moving, Sasuke will die, they're heading towards the docks."

"You don't think...?"

She nodded grimly. "They're going to drown him."

"Shit." Naruto signaled his hand as another van drove passed them.

"Who was that?" She asked as Naruto ran to the passenger side and got in.

"Back up." He muttered. "Now let's move and step on it."

* * *

Sasuke tried to kick his way out of Orochimaru's clutches as the male chained his wrists together while the others held him. Orochimaru tightened them to the point where it would be impossible for Sasuke to free himself from the chains, the marks that started to appear on his wrists showed just how much pressure was being put on them. They shoved him back into the back of the van as they used another chain to hook to the bar that was on the inside.

"Have fun in the afterlife and say I to your brother for me."

"You bastard!" Sasuke yelled as they slammed the door shut.

Sasuke tried to pull on the chains but he did more damage than getting results. The chain dug deeper into his skin until it drew blood, just another wound to add to the ones he already had. His shoulder had stopped bleeding on their drive over to the docks, but in a few moments that wouldn't even matter. He felt the van move as it jerked forward before picking up speed, he knew what was coming as he tried to brace himself but the impact the van made with the water forced Sasuke to hit his head against the wall of the vehicle.

He felt a wave of dizziness and he could hear the van groan under the pressure of the water as it sank deeper and deeper. It didn't take long for the water to start seeping through the cracks of the doors and Sasuke knew it wasn't long until he was completely submerged by the pure liquid. He felt fear settle into his stomach, he wasn't ready to die but that decision was about to be taken away from him.

"Is this how you felt before you died Itachi?" He asked out loud. "I'm sorry you died because of me."

The water flooded in when the back door burst open, Sasuke's eyes widened as he struggled against the strain of the chains but he was more worried about struggling for breath when the water hit him knocking the wind out of him.

_This is it._

* * *

"Put your hands up!" Kakashi yelled as Orochimaru chuckled and raised his hands.

"If you're hoping to save Sasuke, you're too late."

"Where is he?" Naruto demanded as he raised his gun to him.

"Floating down to the bottom of the-" Sakura lunged at him and knocked him to the ground which took everyone by surprise.

"He better be breathing when I get to him, otherwise I'll slit your throat and watch you bleed to death before I gouge out your eyes and feed them to a pack of wild animals." Sakura seethed with anger before stepping back and gave him one swift kick.

Naruto shuddered as he imagined Sakura making good on that threat.

_And I thought Sasuke was dark._

Sakura turned to the other man next to Orochimaru. "Where is he?"

The man pointed as Sakura took off running while Kakashi and Naruto ran after her, leaving Lee, Neji and Shikamaru to handle the Orochimaru and his men. Sakura looked down and saw bubbles coming up from the water. She handed Naruto her gun and searched for something she could use to pick a lock.

"Here." Kakashi handed Sakura a lock pick and she nodded with gratitude. "We never go anywhere without it we'll have an ambulance here for you as well."

"Be careful Sakura." Naruto said as she gave another nod and he handed her a flashlight. "Its waterproof, it'll be dark down there."

She was trying to hold onto her strong facade but the fear of what she would find settled into her stomach. Without a word she dove into the water and swam as far as she could go, she spotted the van hooked against jagged rocks with the flashlight Naruto gave her. She panicked when she saw the back door open and swam even faster, as she approached the back she shined the light inside and her heart shattered.

Sasuke was chained to a bar inside the van and she saw the lock used to hold him there. She didn't waste another minute as she used the pick to work it inside the lock, she could feel her eyes sting from the water as well as tears that tried to flow.

_Come on!_

_Sasuke hang on! Please!_

Just when she thought it was hopeless the lock came open and she removed it with trembling hands and unhooked the chain so she could remove the ones around his wrists. She cringed when she saw the deep gashes left by the metallic object before she pulled him from the back of the van_. _She felt herself getting dizziness from the lack of air as she made her way to the surface with her arm around Sasuke's waist.

_Just a little more._

* * *

"Damn it, come on Sakura." Naruto paced the dock.

After a few moments he threw his hands up. "I'm going in after her."

"Wait." Kakashi ordered. "Look." He pointed when Sakura came to the surface holding Sasuke close to her body.

She swam to the ledge as Naruto knelt down to her and pulled Sasuke up and laid him back on the ground. Sakura hauled herself up as Kakashi helped her but she pushed him away and ran to Sasuke's side. "He's not breathing, where's the ambulance?"

"It isn't here yet."

Sakura didn't hesitate to lean down to his chest and pressed down with both hands, she tilted his head back and placed her lips to his to perform CPR. She leaned back and pressed on his chest three times before placing her lips against his again. She leaned back and repeated the routine.

"Come on Sasuke, breathe damn it!" She felt tears coming to her eyes as she tried over and over but to no avail.

"Sakura stop, he's gone." Naruto pulled her back.

"No, he's not, he can't be." She jerked herself away from his hold and tried again. "Don't you die on me Sasuke! Come on, breathe!"

"Sakura! Stop!" She clenched Sasuke's shirt in her hands and beat on his chest softly. " I hate you." She said through her tears as she hit his chest again.

Sakura felt Sasuke jerk suddenly as he coughed up water and turned on to his side to try to get the rest of the water from his lungs. Sakura felt a wave of relief rush through her as she pat his back to help him rid his body of the remaining water. He shook as he felt cold suddenly, Sakura hugged him tightly as the ambulance finally arrived. They gave Sakura a blanket to wrap herself in as they got Sasuke into the back of the medical vehicle to take him to the hospital.

Kakashi nodded for Naruto to take Sakura and follow them in her car. He would help Lee, Neji and Shikamaru deal with Orochimaru. With a nod, Naruto grabbed Sakura and they both headed to her car where Naruto got into the driver's side and her in the passenger seat, he started the engine and drove off as Sakura breathed with relief but she could feel tears come to her eyes from almost losing Sasuke.

* * *

Sakura walked into the room of the hospital to see Sasuke staring at the ceiling. When she came to stand by his bed, he looked at her and she couldn't help but let her tears fall and Sasuke merely sighed and reached his hand out to her. She grabbed it and held it tightly in hers as he pulled her against his chest, careful not to put strain on his shoulder.

"Why did you come back for me?" He asked as he rested his cheek on top of her head.

"I couldn't let you die," She said and remembered what Naruto had said to her.

_"Why did he make you guys promise not to go after him?"_

_"That's how his brother died, Itachi risked his life to save Sasuke's, and Sasuke never stopped blaming himself for his death._

"Sasuke, Naruto told me about Itachi, but you can't push everyone away, you risk your life everyday for someone else, its not wrong for someone to do the same for you." She looked up at him as he glanced away.

"I know," He stated, "But it's hard knowing that he died because of me."

"He did it because he loved you, he would want you to move on."

"I know Sakura." He sighed. "I know."

"Will you forgive me for what happened in high school?" She asked hopefully. "I really want us to try..."

"Try what?" He raised a brow.

She blushed as she realized what she said. "Uh..." She trailed off before she took a deep breath and decided to get it over with. "Being together." She finally said as he chuckled and her face turned even redder as she hid her face against his chest.

"Don't laugh." She whined.

"How can I not? You're cute when you blush and get all shy." He smirked at her when she tilted her head to stare at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She pouted.

"It means, the feelings I had for you in high school are still there," He said and bit his lip, "I don't want to regret turning my back on this chance, but I'm still doubtful."

"I understand that, but we can work through it."

"Yeah." And for the first time since she confronted him, he smiled at her which sent her heart soaring before he leaned down to kiss her.

When he pulled away he whispered against her lips. "That's for saving my life." Then he kissed her again.

"What was that one for?"

"I just wanted to." He smirked as she grinned. "Besides, I like doing it," He said as he kissed her again when she wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him back.

* * *

"So where are the lovebirds at?" Ino asked Naruto as he and Hinata sat down at the table.

"They decided to skip the reunion." Naruto glanced around at the crowd as he recognized a lot of people from his high school classes.

"Oh please, they're probably having their own reunion." Ino smiled. "If you know what I mean." She winked.

"Yeah...that's more than what I want to think about." Naruto shuddered as Hinata and Ino giggled.

"Oh please, like you two haven't done it yet." Ino laughed.

Hinata turned bright red as she look down at the table trying to hide from Ino's gaze. "Oh Hinata I'm only teasing."

* * *

Sakura lay against Sasuke with her head resting on his bare chest and her arm wrapped around his waist. The sheet wrapped around them to cover them in the darkness of the room, their legs were tangled together as Sasuke ran his hand through her hair. It had been a month since the incident with Orochimaru and even though Sasuke's wounds weren't completely healed yet, that didn't stop him from making love to her.

She was afraid at first but Sasuke had treated her like she was so fragile that she would break if handled the wrong way, and that made her more comfortable around him. She was still blushing after their activity, but she could feel her heart swell with happiness.

"You know, if we leave now, we can still make it to the reunion." Sasuke said.

She sat up and stared at him. "You're willing to go?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I am."

She smiled and kissed him eagerly. "I take that as a yes." Sasuke smirked.

"Yes, now come on." She jumped out of the bed and threw her black jeans and red t-shirt on before running to the bathroom to fix her hair.

He shook his head at her as he smiled before sitting up and slipping on his boxers. "Sakura, can you get the gauze? I need to change the bandages before we leave."

She came out holding the bandage wrap in her hand as well as antibiotic cream, Sakura knelt down to him and changed the bandage on his leg before moving to his shoulder to do the same. Once she was done Sasuke nodded his thanks and grabbed his black jeans to slip them on. He walked to the closet and pulled out a white shirt and then a black button up shirt which he left open to reveal the white material.

He grabbed his combat boots and slipped them on, he didn't tuck his pants into them since this was a casual occasion. He ran a hand through his hair and grabbed his wallet and keys as Sakura smiled slyly by the door, she was staring at his hair and the way he tamed it down with his hand.

"What?" He raised a brow when she walked over to him to run a hand through his hair.

"Remind me when we get back to make sure that your hair gets really, really tangled when..." She leaned in to whisper in his ear, "...We continue our _fun."_

A blush rose to his face as he cleared his throat. "Right..." He grabbed her hand and led her out of the house.

* * *

"So, where is Sakura?" A male with dirty blond hair asked, his clothes were a pair of blue jeans and a red t-shirt.

"Don't worry about it Ryu," Ino sighed as she shook her head. "She's-"

"Right here." Sakura but in as she came to a stop at the table.

"Hey Sakura." Ryu smiled seductively but Sakura ignored it.

"Where is Sasuke?" Ino asked.

"He's parking his truck."

"Sasuke? That nerd in our class?" Ryu asked with disbelief.

"Yes, but he's not a nerd so stop saying that Ryu."

"He's a geek then, face it Sakura, he'll always be one."

"Do you want to say that to my face asshole?"

Ryu jumped and turned around to see Sasuke with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Ryu chuckled and stepped towards him, he was obviously trying to intimidate Sasuke but Ryu didn't have height he did in high school, Sasuke was just as tall as he was.

"Why don't you back off you little geek?"

"After ten years, you still try to pass as a tough guy," Sasuke shook his head, "I pity you, at least I've done something with my life, judging from your clothes, you work at a restaurant doing dishes and cleaning up after people."

"Why you little?" Ryu glared. "So what have you done with your life huh?"

"I am with an organization that works closely with the military and national defense."

Ryu took a step back. "Fuck you man." Then he left.

"Do you feel better?" Sakura smiled as she took a seat and Sasuke went to stand behind her.

"Yeah, I do."

"What made you decide to come?" Naruto asked curiously.

Sasuke lifted his shoulder in a shrug. "I don't know."

"Does it matter?" Sakura asked. "At least we're here."

"True." Naruto grinned. "So what have you two been up to?" Naruto laughed as Sakura's face turned red. "Well Ino I guess you were right."

Sasuke raised a brow and walked over to his friend before leaning down to whisper into his ear. Sakura saw Naruto's face shift from happy to 'Oh shit' and Sasuke could only smirk at him when he walked back to Sakura. She giggled as he sunk down into his chair as Hinata glanced worriedly at him before shaking her head and giving a sigh.

A slow song suddenly began and a man walked up to the microphone. "Alright Ladies, grab your lucky man and bring them to the dance floor."

Ino ran off to find Shikamaru after he disappeared a little while ago to grab a drink. Hinata shyly grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him over to the floor. Sakura suddenly felt shy, a dance is what made Sasuke hate her before, well hate may have been a strong word, but it was the thing that Sakura turned him down for. Glancing at him, he was staring at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She stood and grabbed his hand. "Want to dance with me?"

"Sure."

Sakura walked with him to the dance floor, he wrapped his arms around her waist as she rested her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry." Sasuke heard her mumble.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"This is our first dance together, and I hate myself for turning you down all those years ago."

"It's okay, besides you're making up for that right now by dancing with me, and believe or not, it was worth the wait."

She pulled away from him to stare into his eyes and he could see the tears in hers. Closing the distance he placed a gentle kiss on her lips which she returned without hesitation.

"By the way, Naruto told me about your little threat to Orochimaru."

Her eyes widened. "Oh that?"

"I didn't know you had such a dark side." He smirked suggestively.

"Oh believe me, you'll be seeing more of it." She caught on to what he was thinking.

"Looking forward to it Mrs. Feisty." Sasuke whispered into her ear and she could only giggle.

"You're such a pervert."

"I wasn't until you came along." He said defensively.

"Don't worry, we'll put that side of you to good use too."

"Oh really?" Sasuke flicked the tip of her nose as she giggled.

"Yes really," She grinned. "Believe me, I have a lot things planned for you."

"Can't wait."

* * *

_You and I collapsed in love_  
_ And it looks like we might have made it  
Yeah.. I think we made it..._

* * *

**A/N: And with that, the story is over, or is it? Anyway thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, so here's your treat. ^_^**


	4. Scarred

**Scarred**

-_Shame-

* * *

_

_I have been made to believe_  
_That no one could love me for me_  
_The good and the bad_  
_First to the last_  
_No matter the cost_  
_No matter the past_

_

* * *

_

She shook as her boyfriend got up from the bed, her clothes, now torn, lay on the floor with his as he grabbed them to get dressed_. _She pulled the sheets up to her chest to cover her bare body as bruises littered her arms and torso. Her pink hair in disarray from what he had done to her.

"You tell anyone Sakura, I will kill you." He threatened.

It was the same every night, he came home from work in a pissed mood and he took it out on her before he forced her to have sex with him. She had been raped by him every night and she cried out for him to stop but he only hit her across the face to silence her. Things were only getting worse, but there wasn't a way to escape, the man she had dated for years had kept her here long past the day she said she wanted to break up with him. She was scared.

She was afraid for her life.

She felt tears come to her eyes as he left the room. She shook as she moved from the bed to go to the closet, where she grabbed a new set of clothes to wear, along with a pair of underwear so she could take a shower. She needed to cleanse herself of him, but she knew, no matter how many times she bathed, she would never be able to rid the memories from her mind.

_I have to get out of this mess...  


* * *

_

"All right, get the fuck out!"

A man in his late twenties threw out a twenty-two year old male from the bar he owned, the younger of the two stood shakily to his feet and tried to swing at the bar owner with his fist. It was wasted effort, especially when the older male caught the boy's fist and twisted him around before knocking him to the floor.

"You ever come back to my bar again, I'll be sure you get locked up for good."

He raised his fingers to his lips to let out a loud whistle and a man in a yellow taxi heard it threw his open window. He started his car and drove over to the front of the bar. The owner looked to the driver after he threw the male into the back of the taxi.

"Take him home before he hurts someone."

He handed the driver the man's license where he saw the address. The taxi owner nodded before driving off down the road. With a shake of his head he went back inside the bar to walk over to the man who had been punched in the drunk's rampage.

"I'm sorry sir, is there anything I can do for you?"

"No I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I can-"

"I'll be fine, thanks Sasuke."

The man named Sasuke nodded as he knelt down on the ground to pick up a broken glass bottle which had been knocked from the counter. The clothing he wore was a dark blue shirt with a black vest over it along with black jeans and black combat boots. A chain hung down his left side which connected to the wallet in his back pocket. He sighed and carried the glass to the trash before grabbing a broom and dust pan to clean up any remains.

His arms were firm and lean with muscle, a tattoo was slightly visible on his upper left arm underneath the sleeve of his shirt. It was a Colt M4 5.56mm Carbine rifle with the front of the gun facing downwards and set inside a pair of combat boots. A steel pot army helmet covered the back of the gun and above that it said "All Gave Some". At the bottom of the boots written in plain text was, "Some Gave All" as a set of dog tags hung down the side.

He was an ex-marine but was wounded when he was captured and held as prisoner of war. He was caught when his team was ambushed in the line of duty. He was tortured for over six months before he was finally found by the rescue team. It was a day he would never forget, those long six months were the worst of his life. He was taken and treated for his wounds and nearly died in the hospital but after he miraculously recovered he was awarded a purple heart for his services.

He's been out of the military for a little over two years now and opened this bar just to have something to do. He met a lot of interesting people, some who have become his friends and some like the guy he just kicked out, all in all it wasn't a bad job. After he cleaned up the rest of the glass he walked back behind the counter, his customers had started leaving, no surprise it's nearing ten in the evening.

Sasuke checked all of them before they left, he made sure no one left his bar drunk, if they did he called them a cab and took their keys. He wrote down their numbers when they entered and kept them if he had to keep their keys over night.

* * *

The last customer had finally left or so he thought and Sasuke began cleaning up. As he walked to the back of the bar, he noticed there was a woman sitting in one of the booths. Her pink hair was in a messy ponytail as she held onto a glass that was halfway full of beer. He remembered her coming in about two hours ago and he briefly wondered why she was still here. He walked over and as he approached her she didn't even seem to acknowledge that he stopped by her side.

"Miss?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and he was taken aback when she suddenly jumped and dropped the glass to the floor.

"Oh shit," Sasuke cursed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"N-no, it's not your fault." She stated as she got out of the booth and knelt down to clean up the mess.

Sasuke knelt down to her and grabbed her hand to make her stop. "I got this, go ahead and clean the beer off your shirt, the bathroom is over there." He pointed.

She nodded as Sasuke cleaned up the glass and beer that was on the floor. It took him just a few minutes and when he walked back behind the counter the woman came out of the restroom. She sighed softly and walked over to the counter and sat down at one of the stools.

"Can I have a glass of water please?" She asked hesitantly.

"Sure." Sasuke nodded and grabbed a glass from the shelf and filled it up with ice and water.

She took it with a thanks as she shook slightly which didn't go unnoticed by the male in front of her.

"Ma'am are you alright?"

She remained quiet. "Ma'am?"

"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine."

"You're lying," He stated simply as he grabbed a clean towel and began to wipe off the counter.

She shook even more before tears finally fell from her eyes. "You don't know anything, you've never been beaten down and left to feel like shit."

Sasuke glared. "I know well what that is like, try being tortured for six months straight as terrorists try to get information from you in any way possible." She looked up at him. "I was nearly killed because I refused to sell out my comrades, I know pain, I've been to hell and back twice over."

"I'm sorry," She suddenly said as he shook his head.

"Do you have a name?"

"Sakura."

"Sakura, I'm Sasuke, I'd like to help you, but I can't if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"No, you can't help, no one can." Sakura got off the stool and ran out of the bar.

Sasuke sighed before he continued to clean up his bar. When he walked over to lock the door he heard a scream and he ran outside to look around.

"Let me go!"

"I warned you Sakura!" A male shouted. "Now, I'm going to kill you." Sasuke heard the sound of a slap before he ran into the alley next to the bar he owned. "You told that bar owner everything."

"No I didn't, I swear!" She screamed.

"Hey," Sasuke said calmly. "Is there a problem here?"

"No, now get your ass back inside."

"Why don't you make me?" Sasuke stated.

Sakura looked at Sasuke as the male who had a hold on her dropped her to the ground. She shook as her boyfriend stepped towards Sasuke trying to look as intimidating as possible but Sasuke wasn't phased.

"I told you to get back inside of your damn bar." Kane stopped in front of Sasuke and glared at him, but Sasuke only smirked.

"And I said make me."

"Fine." He swung at Sasuke.

"Kane stop!" Sakura shouted.

Sasuke caught Kane's arm and twisted it causing him to cry out with pain. After Sasuke forced him to his knees, Sakura watched as he leaned down to him. She knew he whispered something into his ear but from where she was she couldn't hear what he was saying.

Kane's eyes widened as Sasuke kicked him to the ground and walked around so he was between him and Sakura. Kane jumped to his feet and was about to charge towards Sasuke when he suddenly flashed a gun that he had concealed under his shirt. With that he took off running. "You have to come back home sometime Sakura."

She was shaking as Sasuke walked over to her and knelt down. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she let out a scream. "Hey, hey, its alright, he's gone." Sakura opened her eyes and looked around until her gaze landed on Sasuke. In one movement she threw herself into his arms causing him to fall back on this butt.

"It's alright."

"What do I do?" She asked through tears. "I don't know where to go."

"Come on." He moved to stand up as he pulled her with him and that's when he realized how light she was, when he settled her on her feet she stumbled from the shaking she felt in her legs. Sasuke grabbed her shoulder to steady her before he lifted her into his arms and carried her bridal style to the bar. He sat her down on one of the stools and placed a hand on her cheek as she looked up into his eyes, he saw the bruise on her cheek and he sighed softly before he walked back behind the counter.

As he filled a small bag up with ice, Sakura could feel tears brimming her eyes again. Sasuke wrapped the bag into a thin cloth and handed it to her, she stared at it for a few minutes before taking it from him.

"It'll help the swelling on your cheek," He offered a gentle smile.

She remained silent and placed the bag on her cheek, the coolness she felt made her shudder as she sighed shakily. She wasn't used to someone being this kind to her, all she ever knew was being beaten and raped by a man who scared off all of her friends. She couldn't get close to anyone without him getting in the way.

"You think you can wait until I finish closing up?" Sasuke asked her.

"How long?" Her voice was soft and quiet.

"About another twenty minutes."

"Okay." She nodded.

"I'll try and speed it up so we can get out of here."

* * *

After Sasuke locked the doors, he pulled a metal door down over it, he spent more money on security than anything else. Once he was sure things were secure, he turned to Sakura who was still silent. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know." She suddenly felt dizzy.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"I only ever get about three hours of sleep."

"Well not tonight." He placed his hand at the small of her back and led her to his car.

He held the door for her as she got in, once he was seated he started the engine and drove down the road. "Where are we going?"

"To my place, I'm not risking you to go back to his."

"But I need clothes and other stuff."

"I'll figure that out."

When they arrived at Sasuke's house, he got out and walked over to the passenger side. He opened the door and offered a hand to her, she took it hesitantly and let him help her out. Sasuke shut the door and locked the car and headed up the driveway. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the door before stepping back and looking to Sakura. Gesturing with his head, she stepped forward and paused.

"Sakura look, I'm not going to hurt you," He assured her, "Until things get settled with your boyfriend, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

She nodded and walked inside and went to sit down on the couch after she set her purse on the table. After he asked her what size clothes she wore, Sasuke grabbed his phone and dialed a number and left the room to talk in the kitchen. She glanced around the living room and took in the simple decorations of the house. Feeling vulnerable and afraid she kicked off her shoes and brought her legs up so she could wrap her arms around them, a normal position she would get into when she felt this way.

Sasuke walked back into the living room and glanced at her as he tucked his phone into his pocket. "My mom is going to bring you some clothes."

"But what about under clothes."

"She'll bring those too, she owns her own clothing store so she can get them for you."

"I can't take them, besides its a bit late for her to come all the way over here."

"Yes you can, don't worry about it." He walked over to her and sat down on the couch. "You want to tell me what he did to you."

"It's not something I want to share."

"Sakura, he beats you, that I figured out." He leaned towards her to touch her cheek. "He can go to jail for that, but I need to know if he's ever done anything else."

Tears escaped her eyes as she let out a sob. "H-he..." She trailed off and hid her face from him but Sasuke knew what she was going to say.

"He rapes you."

She was crying even more and Sasuke didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. She clenched the front of his shirt in her hands as she buried her face into his chest when he wrapped his arms around her. She knew she should pull away but no matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she needed the comfort, and more importantly she needed him, he pulled away and brushed her tears away his thumb.

"Why don't you go get a shower, my mother should be here by the time you finish." He stood up and grabbed her arm to pull her up.

Leading her up the stairs he took her to his room and when she hesitated at the door Sasuke turned to her and held out his hand. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her inside before showing her the bathroom.

"There is shampoo and body wash in the stall, the towels are up here," He reached to a cabinet above the toilet and opened it to pull out the fabric and handed her one, "If you're out before my mother gets here, there's a robe on the back of the door."

"Thank you," She murmured quietly.

"Don't worry about it, take your time, there's no rush." He turned to leave. "If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen making a snack for you."

Then he left. Sakura looked around the bathroom and walked over to the shower to switch on the water. She felt the steam from the water begin to rise as she stripped herself of her clothes and stepped into the shower and shut the door. Breathing a sigh of relief she let the warm water cascade down her back and chest before reaching for the shampoo to put some into her hand. As she put it in her hair she thought back to Sasuke and the kindness he has shown her.

_But what if it's all an act?_

She felt her heart race at that thought but she forced herself to calm down.

_No, Sasuke isn't like Kane. I have to believe that.

* * *

_

Sasuke cut up some fruits to make a fruit salad, which included grapes, strawberries, oranges, kiwi, raspberries and blueberries. The doorbell rang and Sasuke ran over to open it and smiled upon seeing his mother.

"Hey sweetheart." She hugged him before kissing him on the cheek.

Being at least a foot taller than her, he had to bend down to hug her back and let her kiss his cheek.

"So where is she?"

"She's in the bathroom taking a shower," He stated and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm proud of you for helping her, but then again, it's your weakness," She giggled as he blushed.

"Yeah, well just be careful when approaching her, her boyfriend did a lot more than beat her."

Mikoto's eyes widened. "He raped her."

Sasuke nodded as Mikoto quickly went up the stairs while he went back to the kitchen to fill up a couple of bowls of the fruit. He briefly wondered if he could help Sakura get passed all the physical and emotional damage that Kane had caused her.

* * *

Mikoto knocked on the door of the bathroom and it opened to reveal Sakura wrapped in a black towel. She was surprised to see Mikoto there but realized who she was.

"Hi Sakura, I'm Mikoto, Sasuke's mother."

"Oh hi." Sakura fidgeted nervously as Mikoto smiled warmly at her.

"Sasuke told me what happened," Mikoto turned and walked over to the bed to pull out some clothes from the bag she had, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

She pulled out a pink nightgown and a couple of pairs of jeans, a pair of sweat pants, under-garments as well as a few t-shirts. She grabbed the undergarments and handed them to Sakura as she went back into the bathroom to put them on. "Do you want to wear the nightgown or the sweats and a t-shirt?"

"Uh, the sweat pants please."

Mikoto grabbed the black pants and a gray shirt before heading over to the bathroom to hand them to her. Sakura dressed quickly and came out of the bathroom as she ran her hand through her damp hair.

"Thank you for coming over here this late."

"Oh it's no trouble, I'm usually at home curled up with a good book at this time, but as soon as I got Sasuke's call, I rushed over."

"Thanks again," Sakura murmured shyly, "Uh could you...uh..."

"What is it sweetie?"

"Sasuke, what kind of guy is he?"

Mikoto smiled. "You want to know what he's like huh?" Sakura nodded. "Well, how should I put this...Sasuke he's the son any mom could ask for, he's always putting someone else's well-being above his own."

"He mentioned something about being tortured for six months, was he part of the military?"

"He told you about that?"

"Well, sort of."

"Yes, Sasuke joined the marines when he was eighteen, he was part of the military for eight years before that incident occurred, I don't know the whole story and its not my place to tell it," Mikoto said when she glanced at Sakura, "You should ask him about it, the only thing I can tell you is that, on that day, I really thought I lost my baby, he came so close to dying."

Sakura's heart ached for her. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you sweetie, now let's get you downstairs, Sasuke made you a snack and I want you to at least get something into your stomach before you get to bed." Mikoto ushered her out of the room and they both headed downstairs where they found Sasuke washing dishes.

"Hey Sakura," Mikoto whispered into Sakura's ear and she nearly laughed but nodded.

"Hey Doodle-Bug." Sakura called out shyly and she saw Sasuke stiffen as he dropped one of the plastic bowls he was washing.

"Mom!" He turned to the two females as he shut the water off.

"Oh Sasuke calm down," Mikoto giggled as she walked forward.

When Sakura followed her, she stared at Sasuke and the blush that lingered on his cheeks. He was embarrassed, there was no denying that, but when Mikoto patted his cheek with her hand he shook his head at her.

"You know you like that name," Mikoto teased.

"I'm not saying anything." Sasuke crossed his arms as his mother laughed at him.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at the two of them, her mother was like that with her before Kane forced her to move to another city.

"Alright Sasuke, I need to get back home, you know how your father worries and he won't go to bed until I get back." Mikoto hugged him again and turned to Sakura. "We're going to need to get you over to the hospital."

"Already made an appointment," Sasuke put in, "I called the hospital while Sakura was in the shower, Tsunade is working late tonight and I made an appointment for Sakura to see her tomorrow afternoon."

"Well then its settled," Sakura was taken by surprise when Mikoto hugged her, "Sasuke will take good care of you, I'll be by tomorrow morning and take you over there since Sasuke has to work."

"Thank you for everything," Sakura hugged her back.

After Sasuke walked Mikoto out to her car, he came back and shut the door before locking it up for the night. He turned to Sakura who was looking a little shy as she fidgeted nervously by the door. Sasuke gave a small smile. "Come on, I made fruit salad."

Sakura followed him into the kitchen where he showed her to the table that held two bowls of the snack Sasuke had prepared. "I hope you like it."

"Its more than I could ever ask for, thank you."

_I feel like...I'll finally be okay.

* * *

_

Sakura jolted awake and glanced around the room before looking down at herself. _Okay, I still have my clothes on..._

"It was just a dream." She finally realized as the images came back to her head.

_"Stay still and take it like I told you." Kane growled angrily and ripped the shirt from her torso before slapping her across the face.  
_

She shivered at the memory of the the night he had raped her more violently than any other night. Before she could stop them, the tears that she had tried so hard to hold back, fell down her cheeks. She crawled out of the bed and planted her bare feet on the white carpeted floor. She stood and left the room, she needed some fresh air, hopefully going outside would help her clear her head.

As she walked down the hallway, she passed by Sasuke's room, the door was open but he wasn't in bed which confused her. She looked ahead and noticed another room, the door was shut only leaving a crack as light crept out into the hallway. Being curious, she walked over and peeked inside and surveyed the room. It was a small study, the walls were lined with shelves which held hundreds of books. A desk sat at one corner with a computer on the top, while a couch was placed adjacent to the desk. That's where she spotted Sasuke laying on the furniture reading a book, he had changed from the clothes he wore at the bar to a pair of black sweats and a gray sleeveless t-shirt.

"You don't have to hide Sakura."

She jumped from the sound of his voice before opening the door and stepping inside. He looked at her and sat up from the couch as he set the book he was reading on the table by the sofa. "What are you doing up this late?"

"I could ask you the same."

"Good point." He muttered and smirked at her response. "I'm always up at this hour, a habit I can't get rid of from the military." He patted the spot next to him. "Come sit down, I know something is bothering you."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well I know its not allergies that is making your eyes water and bloodshot."

Knowing she was defeated, she walked over to sit down next to him as he turned his body to face her. "What's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare...about Kane." Her lip quivered. "He was..."

"You don't have to say it Sakura," He placed his hand on hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Do you want to talk?"

"About what?"

"Anything that you think will get your mind off of what happened between you and Kane."

"Will you tell me about you?" She asked hesitantly.

"What is it you want to know?"

"You mentioned something at the bar, about being tortured, I asked your mom, but she said that I should go to you to hear the story." She twiddled her fingers as she looked down at her lap.

"I'll never forget it," He began, he didn't know why he was telling her, maybe it would help her put her trust in him, "My team and I were supposed to infiltrate a compound in enemy territory, but we were ambushed, the team got away, but one of my best friends and I were captured."

She listened intently, waiting for him to continue.

"It was hell, they burned us, drowned us, shot us until we could no longer move or speak, the pain was so unbearable, but we refused to say anything about our comrades," Sasuke stared down at the floor as the memories returned to his mind. "They were angry and that's when things got worse, they held me down and forced me to watch as they tortured Juugo slowly. I can still see his face, the pain he went through as I tried my hardest to get them to stop, but the only way they would do that was if I told them about my comrades and the strategies we created."

"Juugo made me swear on my mother's life not to tell them, and they cut his throat, he was still breathing as he laid there withering and bleeding to death," He paused and sighed shakily, Sakura could see the horror written on his face as he relived the day again, "That's when they gave me a choice, they would leave Juugo to die slowly and painfully, or I could shoot him myself." Sakura knew which one he had picked. "They gave me a gun and before I put the bullet in his head, he managed to tell me to stay strong and survive for the both of us and then I ended his suffering."

Sakura placed a hand against her mouth as she tried to calm her pounding heart.

"Months went by and they continued to torture me, only the things they did were much worse than before, I was hit with everything imaginable: crowbars, whips, bats, knives, you name it." Sasuke wiped a hand across his mouth. "From what I know, six months passed and I thought I was finally going to die, but just before I passed out for the final time, the walls were blown down and the rescue team came rushing in, but that's all I remember, the next thing I know, I wake up in the hospital with my mother crying by my bedside." He touched his upper arm where the tattoo was. "I got this tattoo for Juugo after I was able to leave the hospital, I gave some, but he was the one that gave it all."

"Oh my god...Sasuke...I didn't mean to..."

"Its okay, I know Juugo wouldn't want me to dwell on the past." He turned to look at where a case hung on the wall.

Sakura looked closer and saw it held a picture of Sasuke and, who she assumed was Juugo, they were both in military combat uniforms, there were a set of dog tags hanging next to it as well as an old military uniform that had Juugo's name embroidered on the left breast pocket.

"There are days," He confessed, "That I wish I was the one that was killed instead of him, he didn't deserve to die the way he did."

"How did you ever get passed all of that?"

"My mother took me to one of her friends that is a psychiatrist, believe me, talking about it then was way harder than it is now." He sighed and leaned back against the couch.

"At least you had your family there with you through the whole thing."

"Where are your parents?"

"They live in another city, Kane forced me to move here with him so I couldn't go to them for help," She stated, "He made me leave by holding a gun to my head."

"What do you do for work?"

"Nothing, Kane won't allow it, I graduated from college to be a nurse but I can't even put it to use," She murmured quietly.

"Why didn't you run whenever he left the house?" Sasuke asked.

"I didn't know where to go, besides, I tried that once and Kane found me, the beating he gave me was the most violent one yet," She sighed, "I didn't want to go through that again."

He took in the information. "Exactly how long has he forced you to live with him?"

"We didn't move until I graduated college as a registered nurse, that was five years ago."

"How the hell did you survive that?"

"I honestly don't know." She felt tears come to her eyes as she hugged herself.

Sasuke reached out to grab her shoulder before pulling her into his arms as she sobbed into his chest. "I-I don't want to go back...I-I can't t-take it anymore, I feel like I just want to die." She reached around his torso to embrace him tightly. "Every time I close my eyes, I can see him raping me as he laughed or hit me while I felt more like trash every night he did it."

"I'm not letting you go back to him," He tightened his hold, "But we need to go to the police."

She sat up suddenly. "But what if he comes after me?" She fearfully asked, "He'll kill me."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you, as long as you're with me, he won't go near you again."

She didn't know why, but she trusted him, maybe it was because he shared the darkest part of his past with her, but she knew he was the one that could help her.

_I just hope I'm not making a mistake.

* * *

_Mikoto rang the doorbell but was surprised when there wasn't an answer, Sasuke should be up and getting ready for work by now. Reaching into her purse, she grabbed the spare key that Sasuke had given her before unlocking the door and stepping inside.

"Sasuke," She called out to him.

She headed up the stairs and came to a stop when she saw the light from the study on. She peered inside and smiled softly at the sight, Sasuke was laying against the arm of the couch while one of his legs hung off the side, his arm rested on Sakura's back. Sakura was lying against his chest, with her arms wrapped tightly around him.

Mikoto walked over to the couch and nudged Sasuke's shoulder gently with her hand. He stirred slightly before his eyes cracked open to glance around the room until he saw his mother staring down at him. "Morning sleepyhead, don't you need to be getting ready for work?"

"What?" He glanced at the clock. "Oh...yeah."

He glanced down at Sakura and sat up slowly before lifting her into his arms so he could stand. "I'll take her to the guest room, I don't want to wake her up yet."

Mikoto nodded and stepped aside as Sasuke carried Sakura from the study to the guest bedroom next to his, after tucking her in, he brushed the back of his knuckles against her cheek. He sighed softly and left the room. He found his mother in his bedroom looking through the bag she had brought for Sakura last night.

"What time is the appointment?" She asked him.

"At twelve-thirty, Tsunade will be doing the examination," Sasuke explained as he went to his closet to grab an express black military dress shirt and dark blue Levi jeans. He went into the bathroom and changed then came back out to grab his black combat boots. After slipping them on he walked over to his mom.

"Can you call your friend at the psychiatric office?" He asked her as he slipped his phone and wallet into his pockets. "She's going to need a lot of counseling."

"Sure." Mikoto nodded.

"I'm going to make a call once I get to work, see if I can get in contact with Sakura's parents, if everything goes as expected, I might be able to get them here tonight," He stated.

"That's a good idea," Mikoto agreed with him, "I hope Tsunade can help her."

"I just hope that sick maniac didn't give her a disease or get her pregnant."

Mikoto nodded her head as Sasuke grabbed his keys and left the room. Mikoto followed him to the kitchen where he grabbed a small plastic bowl from the fridge that held some of the fruit salad he made last night. He would put it into the small fridge he had at work to eat for lunch.

"I'll see you later," He said to Mikoto, "Call me when you leave the hospital."

"Will do sweetheart." Mikoto hugged him before he opened the front door and left.

With a sigh, Mikoto walked back to the kitchen and made some coffee as Sakura came down the stairs rubbing her eyes. Sakura was surprised when she saw Sasuke's mother in the kitchen instead of the male who had saved her last night.

"Good morning Mikoto," She said in a soft tone.

"Morning Sakura, would you like some coffee?"

"Uh...sure." Then she went to sit at the table.

Filling a mug up with the brown liquid, Mikoto handed it to her before pouring herself a glass and joining Sakura at the table. "Are you ready for your appointment?"

"I don't know," Sakura stated nervously.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Tsunade is nice, you'll like her," Mikoto smiled, "She's Sasuke's doctor, she was the one that saved his life."

"What kind of questions will she ask me?"

"She'll go through the basic, asking you what happened? How long has it been going on? Where it hurts most?"

"Will she uh...?" Sakura looked away embarrassingly.

Mikoto knew what she was wanting to ask. "Yes, she will have to do a vaginal exam, its to make sure everything is okay."

"But, I...I'm..."

"You're scared I know, but don't worry I'll be waiting just outside the door."

Sakura's lip quivered. "You remind me of my mother." Then she felt the tears fall down her cheeks.

"Aw, honey don't cry." Mikoto got up from the chair she was sitting on and went to hug Sakura.

She was thankful for the comfort. "I miss her and my father so much, I haven't seen them in five years."

"Sasuke is working on contacting them."

"Is he really?" Sakura asked and Mikoto nodded. "I can't believe he'd go through the trouble."

"Believe me, Sasuke does whatever he can to help, even after he's already left the military, he always tries to help someone."

_I hope he can deal with Kane.

* * *

_

"Her name is Sakura Haruno," Sasuke said into the phone he held against his ear as he walked the bar and preparing it to be open for the early birds that like to come in the morning, "Yeah, I just need to get in contact with her parents."

"I'll see what I can find," The male said over the line.

"Okay, thanks Kakashi, call me if you find anything."

"No problem."

Sasuke hung up and set the phone into his pocket before walking over to unlock the door. Once he walked back behind the counter, the door opened to reveal the man Sasuke had wanted to shoot for hurting Sakura.

"Where is she?" Kane gritted through his teeth.

"Somewhere you can't find her." Sasuke walked over to him.

"You tell me where she is or you'll regret it."

"You know what, why don't you stop with the tough guy attitude, the only thing your going to scare with that is a puppy." Sasuke glared at the man before him.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me, there's is nothing you can do to me that I haven't been through already."

"I'll shoot you."

"Been threw that a hundred times."

"Well then, you leave me no choice, I'll be back, and you'll regret sticking your nose in my business."

He turned and headed towards the exit.

"I'll be waiting," Sasuke merely said as Kane left. "Asshole," He muttered and shook his head.

_Fuckin' bastard better stay away from Sakura.

* * *

_

"I'm going to prescribe some medicine that will help you sleep," A blond woman by the name of Tsunade said as she wrote a few things down on the clipboard she held.

Sakura bit her lip.

"The good news is that I didn't find any STDs and you're not pregnant."

Sakura released the breath she had been holding as relief flooded through her.

"The only thing I'm worried about is all the bruises on your face, back, arms, chest and stomach." Tsunade glanced over her clipboard. "Now I want you to get plenty of rest, these," She handed Sakura a bottle of pills, "Will help you sleep. Take one after you eat dinner."

With a nod Sakura looked up at her. "Thank you."

Tsunade nodded. "I want to see you back here in about two weeks so I can see how the bruises are healing."

"Okay." She hesitated. "Um...Tsunade...What can you tell me about Sasuke?" She was still curious about Sasuke, no one could blame her, she had a right to be cautious.

"I thought you already knew about him."

"Only some things, I really want to know if he's trustworthy."

"Sakura you don't have to worry about that, Sasuke is a girl's dream, he never forces somebody to do anything they don't want to, he may not seem like it, but he's a really sweet guy as well." She grinned. "He's just a little shy to share that side of him."

"Oh," Sakura giggled.

"But don't worry, you'll warm up to him." She smiled. "Besides, I think he's taken a liking to you."

That had her heart racing. _Sasuke couldn't possibly hold any feelings for me, he's just a nice guy that saved me in my time of need and that's it._

But the more she thought about it, the more she wanted it to be true, she never felt safe with anyone before, but Sasuke was a whole different person, he knew hurt, he understood pain. She knew Sasuke couldn't hold any romantic feelings for her, but the way he comforted her made her heart race and her defenses crumble.

_Oh God! I can't go through this again!_

The fact that Sasuke could possibly even like her quickened her heart rate. She couldn't help but blush when she pictured Sasuke wearing nothing but-_Whoa! Damn it Sakura! Get a grip!_ Images of his well toned chest and lean arms made a shiver run down her spine. Sasuke could definitely give the Chippendale's a run for their money, then again, Sasuke could be a whole lot better. She smiled shyly when she pictured Sasuke performing one of the erotic dances as he stripped down to-

"Sakura?"

She jumped and looked at Tsunade, who she briefly forgot was there. "Uh...yeah?" She blushed. _Shit Sakura, it hasn't even been a week and you're already thinking perverted thoughts..._

"Are you okay?"

Sakura's blush darkened and she stared down at the floor. "Never mind, I don't want to know," Tsunade said, she knew that look and preferred not to go into a conversation about it.

_

* * *

_

Sasuke had no idea what to think when Sakura came into the bar and walked over to him. What surprised him even more was the fact that she had walked around the bar counter and hugged him tightly. He could feel the heat come to his face, he tried to hide the blush when Sakura pulled away to stare at him. Damn it! She saw the red tint to his cheeks and she could only giggle at him before turning to go sit down at one of the stools.

Mikoto walked in and headed over to the two of them as Sasuke cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure. "How did the appointment go?"

"Everything is perfectly fine, except for the bruises that Tsunade needs to see again at a later date."

He nodded as he went to his fridge to grab two water bottles. He handed them to the two females and they took the water with a thanks. "I'll be late getting back home, think you can handle being there on your own?" He asked Sakura.

"Uh...I think so."

"You won't be alone," Mikoto assured her, "I'll be there, plus Sasuke has some people coming over that you will want to see."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Well I can't wait."

* * *

Sakura sat on the couch, it was about eight in the evening when a knock sounded on the door. Mikoto went to answer it and when she came back Sakura looked up as her eyes widened. There was a female with the same color hair Sakura had, her blue eyes held tears as the male next to her placed his hand on her shoulder, her clothes were a pair of black pants and a red blouse. The man had piercing green eyes, that reminded Sakura of her own, he wore a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt. She knew who they were and when she stood from her place on the couch.

"Mom? Dad?"

Her mother nodded and ran over to her, Sakura didn't hesitate to embrace her tightly, her father came over and wrapped his arms around both of them. Sakura couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes and when she pulled away she saw the same in her mother's eyes.

"I can't believe you're here." She turned to Mikoto who was standing a few feet away. "They're the ones Sasuke wanted me to see."

Mikoto nodded. "He doesn't disappoint, I told you he would get in contact with them."

Sakura smiled softly. "He really is a sweet guy."

"Where is he?" He father spoke up. "I would like to thank him for getting you back to us."

"He's working right now," Mikoto explained. "He'll be home later tonight."

"Hope you don't mind if we stay here tonight," Mr. Haruno scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "In our rush to get here, we didn't make reservations at a hotel."

"Oh its no problem, Sasuke would hate himself if you guys went to stay at a hotel."

Sakura smiled. "I wish he could come home now."

"I know Sakura," She smiled at the younger girl.

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he locked the door to his bar, it was already eleven o'clock and he was tired. Luckily his home wasn't far from here, about a ten to fifteen minute drive. As he headed to his car, he heard the gravel behind him crunch as somebody ran toward him. He didn't have time to react when the man raised a baseball bat and struck Sasuke in the head sending him to the ground.

"I warned you."

He tried to get up from the ground but the man who had attacked him drew a knife. "Why did you get in my way? Sakura is mine."

"She doesn't belong to you, I'll die before I ever let you touch her again."

"That can be arranged."

Kane charged him with the knife aimed straight for his chest.

* * *

Mikoto glanced worriedly at the clock, it was twelve-thirty and Sasuke still hadn't come home, she had tried his cell phone several times but there was no answer. She stood and paced the room as Sakura paused in her conversation with her parents and glanced at her.

"Mikoto what's wrong?"

"Sasuke should have been home an hour ago, I can't even get a hold of him on his phone."

"I'm sure he's-"

The front door opened and Sasuke walked inside. Mikoto ran over to him and when he looked at her, she knew why he was late.

"Who did this to you?" Mikoto asked as she placed her hands on his cheeks to examine his face.

His nose was bleeding and he had a busted lip with a bruise that was starting to appear under his eye. He walked to the kitchen as everyone followed him. Sakura stared at him with worry. "Sasuke what happened?"

He was silent as he grabbed a towel and wet it so he could wash his face. "Kane attacked me when I left work." A wave of dizziness overcame him as he steadied himself against the counter.

Placing a hand on the back of his head he went to sit down at the table. Sakura noticed his unsteady movements and the way he clutched the back of his head. When he brought his hand down he saw blood and Sakura ran to him. She made him look down as she examined his head. "Sasuke, what did he do?"

"Kane struck me with a baseball bat."

"Oh my God! We have to call the police."

"Already done, he got arrested by my father."

"Your father?"

"Yeah, my dad is the chief of police."

"What did your father say?" Mikoto asked.

"After he showed up, he told me to go home and take care of these," He indicated his face where the blood had once been. "I need to go shower to get the blood out of my hair."

"Alright, but once you're done, I'm coming up there to take a look at the wound on your head, no buts," Sakura said sternly.

"Yes mother," He grinned before heading up the stairs.

"Your ex did that to him?" Her mother asked. "Just like he hit you?"

Sakura nodded. "I'm going go head upstairs to wait for him, this is my fault."

"Honey its not your fault and Sasuke would get mad at you for even saying that." Mikoto looked at her.

"I know, but I can't help but think it." Then she headed upstairs.

"Your son took quite a beating." Sakura's father, Keiji stated. "How can he even stand it?"

"No one can beat him down, he's been through hell," Mikoto said, "He was tortured when he was in the military."

"Tortured by who?" Mana, Sakura's mother asked.

"By the terrorists that captured him and held him as a prisoner of war."

"Oh dear," Mana held her hand to her mouth. "How did he ever survive that?"

"I don't know, I just thank whatever God is out there that my son wasn't taken from me."

* * *

Sakura couldn't hear the water running so she figured he was already finished with his shower. She opened the door to his room as he jumped and spun around, he covered himself with the towel. "Sakura!"

She blushed and shut the door immediately, she leaned against it as her heart pounded. She saw him in his all naked glory. "Dear god." She muttered. "Why didn't I knock?" Her cheeks darkened to a color that would put her hair to shame.

The door opened and she fell back, but she didn't hit the floor as she suspected, she was caught in Sasuke's arms. "I'm sorry." She squeaked. "I didn't know you didn't take your clothes into the bathroom with you." She was waiting for Sasuke to strike at her, since it was what Kane had down whenever she made a little mistake.

"Next time just knock please?" He muttered embarrassingly as he looked down at her, that's when she saw he changed into a pair of black sweatpants and a gray shirt, like the night before.

She stood and looked at him, their faces were only inches apart and she realized she wanted to kiss him. Just to see what his lips felt like against hers, were they as soft as they looked, aside from the cut or were they rough? Without thinking she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, Sasuke wasn't expecting her to make such a bold move considering her past. He hesitated as her lips brushed over the cut that Kane had given his lip, but any thoughts of stopping vanished when she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He slowly kissed her back while his arms wound around her waist to pull her closer to him. She briefly remembered the cut he had on his head but she didn't want to pull away from him just yet. Their kiss was cut short when someone cleared their throat. They broke apart quickly and turned to see her parents and his mother. Mikoto was grinning as Sasuke turned red, but at least he wasn't the only one, Sakura hid behind Sasuke as her face heated up.

"Well, didn't see that coming." Keiji looked to his wife as she giggled. "Or did we?"

"Aw this is so cute." Mikoto clasped her hands together.

"Don't say that," Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, the blush not leaving his face.

"Is my little Doodle-Bug embarrassed?" Mikoto walked over to him to pat his cheeks affectionately.

He pouted and she could only giggle at his expression. "Yes."

"I think its time to hide under a rock," Sakura muttered from behind Sasuke, "What do you think?"

"Yeah..." Sasuke trailed off.

"Anyway, Sasuke I need to look at your wound."

He nodded and they headed downstairs with their parents not too far behind with grins on their lips.

Sasuke sat down at the table in the kitchen as Sakura went to grab the first aid kit from the cabinet Sasuke had said it was in. She came back and made him look down as she parted his hair to see the wound, she sighed with relief when she saw it wasn't deep, it had already stopped bleeding so Sakura merely added some antibiotic creme and put away the kit. Sasuke rested his arms on the table before placing his hand on his arm. He was feeling a little lightheaded and it wasn't because of the injury, it was because of the pink-haired girl that took his breath away the second she placed her lips on his.

_Would she be willing to accept me as something more than a friend. _Sasuke thought to himself as he stood up. _I just have a feeling she won't._

* * *

Two weeks came and went, Sakura had given her statement to the police about her ex and they had set a court date that she would have to attend. She agreed without hesitation, finally having a chance to put him in his place. Now as she stood outside, she couldn't help but stare at Sasuke who was dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans, combat boots and a black t-shirt with a white perforated nylon jacket over it.

"Well I guess this is goodbye." Sakura stood by her parent's car wearing blue jeans and a black shirt.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Sasuke nodded.

Without thinking she hugged Sasuke tightly against her chest. "Thank you for everything." He returned the embrace before pulling away. "Uh...about the kiss..."

"Don't worry about it, we were just caught up in the moment, its already forgotten," Sakura stated with a smile.

Sasuke felt pain lacerate his heart at her words, he wouldn't admit it but he wanted the kiss to mean something more. Then again he was foolish to expect it from her after they had just met, but he still couldn't help it. There was something about her that sent his heart racing and made him weak in the knees.

"Bye." Those were her last words before she got into the car and her parents drove her out of the city and out of his life.

"I can't believe you let her go." He turned to his mother who came to stand by his side.

"What could I have said?" He asked her. "She has a life she needs to reclaim, a life she lost five years ago."

"But at what cost Sasuke?" She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You may not have noticed, but she wanted to stay here with you, she's just afraid and I know she's not the only one."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do, you're scared. Ever since Juugo died, you won't let anyone get close to you, don't let his death consume you." His eyes softened as he looked at her. "Juugo would want you to be happy, don't just let her walk away."

"She's not even mine to keep, we barely know each other anyway."

"Don't make excuses, you didn't even try."

"I don't want to hurt her."

"You won't."

"How do you know?" Sasuke pocketed his hands in his jeans. "Every time I get close to somebody, I just screw it up."

"What happened with Juugo wasn't your fault."

"How can you say that? I'm the one that put the bullet in his head, the one that ended his life."

"If you hadn't, he would have suffered to his very last breath." Mikoto turned to her son and placed a hand on his cheek. "What would Juugo tell you to do?"

Sasuke's lip twitched. "He would say: 'Quit being a pansy ass and go for it'." He laughed bitterly and placed a hand over his eyes, he could feel his eyes sting with unshed tears as the pain of losing his best friend returned.

Mikoto hugged him as he shook. "Honey, don't give up, I know its hard, but you can't live behind those walls you've built forever."

"I know," His voice was shaky.

He took a deep breath in to calm himself.

"Come on Sasuke, we both know what you want to do, and what you're going to do." Mikoto smiled at him as she handed him a piece of paper. "This is her home address, she lives with her parents."

Sasuke smiled softly and took the paper from her. "Wish me luck." He could feel his hands shaking as he ran into his home to grab his keys.

_Trying is all I can really do...  


* * *

_

"Sakura!" A blond woman squealed as she hugged her pink-haired friend. "Oh I was afraid Kane may have killed you."

"Ino, I'm fine, thank you for being here." Sakura smiled as she hugged her friend.

"You're not fine, I know what that bastard did."

"Yeah, but really he won't be bothering me anymore."

"I thought I would never see you again." Ino sniffed. "I'm sorry I didn't help you."

"It's okay, he threatened your life, I don't blame you."

"Yeah but he also said that if I tried to interfere he would kill you."

Sakura's eyes widened at her statement.

"Come on girl, Hinata and Tenten are waiting for us at the coffee shop."

"You guys be careful." Sakura's mother called out when they ran out the door.

* * *

It took two hours but he finally came to a stop outside the Haruno residence, he arrived only half an hour after Keiji and his family did hopefully Sakura hadn't gone anywhere just yet. He got out of his car and ran up to the front door, he gave a firm knock then waited a few seconds before the door opened.

"Sasuke?" Mana asked surprisingly.

"Is Sakura here?"

"No you just missed her, she left with her friend to the coffee shop a few minutes ago."

"Where is that at?"

After she gave Sasuke the directions he turned to leave. "Wait, what do you need to see her for?"

But he was already in his car and heading down the road.

* * *

"Tell us more about this Sasuke."

"What else is there to say?"

"I don't know, how about are you going to date him?"

"He wouldn't date me, I'm damaged, I've got scars so deep I don't think they'll ever be healed."

"Everyone has their demons, at least you weren't the one that shot your best friend."

Sakura jumped at the sound of the masculine voice behind her. She turned to see Sasuke standing with his hands at his sides, Ino and Tenten giggled while Hinata smiled at Sakura's red face. Sakura stood up and fidgeted nervously under his gaze.

"What are you doing here?"

"At this point, I'm still not sure, but I'm not letting you walk away."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked hesitantly. "Am I supposed to just throw myself at you and beg you to be with me?"

"No, its about me asking you if there could be more between us."

"Why?" She asked with her lip quivering. "Why would you want someone like me when there are others out there who aren't damaged?"

"You're not the only one that's damaged Sakura, I've been living behind a wall ever since Juugo's death," He stated and stepped forward, "You're the first person I've ever wanted to get close since then."

"Why?"

"I don't know why, but if you give us a chance, maybe we could find out." He placed his hand out to her.

She looked at his outstretched hand as she shook. "I just don't want to get hurt again."

"I would never do what Kane did to you, its your choice, you can take my hand, or I could walk away and leave your life for good."

Sasuke felt his heart race as she hesitated, he knew what he was walking into but he didn't want her to say no, he didn't want to walk away. But when she didn't move he had her answer, he sighed and dropped his hand. "I get it Sakura, just promise me you'll find someone, someday, who will treat you right."

He turned and headed back to his car as Ino stood up and ran over to Sakura. "Don't let him go Sakura." Sakura felt her tears come to her eyes as she realized he was walking away, he was going to walk out of her life forever.

"Sasuke!" He turned to her as she ran towards him, she was still afraid but she couldn't let him go, she didn't want him to, she wanted him to be with her.

She threw her arms around his torso and rested her head against his chest. "I don't want you to go, but you have to understand, I'm terrified."

"I know, I am too," He whispered against her head.

She pulled away to look at him. "But I know, I have to try."

He smiled down at her. "I won't hurt you, I couldn't bring myself to do that to a woman." Then he leaned down to kiss her softly. "There's nothing I wouldn't do to make you smile." He whispered against her lips.

"Then just keep kissing me." She smiled shyly.

* * *

_Fear and pain are two major barriers between us and our goal of happiness.

* * *

_

**A/N: This story turned out way longer than I first intended, but hell, I like it that way. :]**

**There is a possibility that there will be a second part to his later on, but I'll leave that decision for later, unless you guys want me to.  
**


	5. Break Away I

**Break Away****  
**

_-Trust-_**  
**

* * *

_It's just another war_  
_Just another family torn_  
_Falling from my faith today_  
_Just a step from the edge_  
_Just another day in the world we live

* * *

_

"Daddy, you're home!" A seven year old girl shouted happily as she lunged at her father.

"Hey sweetheart," He lifted her up and hugged her tightly.

"Mommy said you wouldn't be home for another month."

He had just come back from the military, the brown and tan combat uniform he wore was proof enough for that. His raven-black hair sprang in front of his eyes as he set his daughter back to her feet on the floor. He smiled and ruffled her hair, he was glad she had inherited his family's dark hair instead of his wife's wild red genes.

"I know Hana, but this is a surprise, where is your mom at?"

"She is upstairs with one of her friends, she said I had to stay down here cause they were talking about business."

"What friend is here?"

"I think his name is Ryu." Hana blinked innocently.

_Ryu? That's Karin's ex boyfriend._

"Stay down here Hana, alright?"

"Okay daddy," She nodded and went back to the living room.

He headed up the stairs and as he got closer he heard moans coming from the bedroom he and his wife shared. He felt sick to his stomach, he already knew what they were doing and when he quietly opened the door, he saw Karin and Ryu fucking on the bed.

Rage consumed him as he clenched his fists and turned away, he made his way to the attic to grab a few boxes and suitcases. He went to Hana's room first and packed up all of her stuff and anything she would want, everything else stayed, he could buy more things for her later. He headed downstairs and packed up any of the belongings that he or Hana owned, all of Karin's things were tossed to the floor.

Hana looked at her dad with confusion as he grabbed the book she was coloring in and tossed it into a box. She saw him rush over to the book shelf and snatched all of his books off and threw them into the box with her coloring book. After he took them out to his truck and threw them in the back seat and in the bed of the truck, he came back inside.

"Daddy, what are you doing?"

"Hana, put your jacket and your shoes on, now."

She hesitantly went to the door and slipped on her black shoes and grabbed her jacket from the hook before returning to her father's side. "Wait here." Then he went back up the stairs and Hana suddenly heard yelling.

"Sasuke!"

"I trusted you!" Sasuke yelled at her as he grabbed all of his clothes and shoved them into a bag. "I gave you everything I had and you go and cheat on me!"

"Sasuke, its not what you think."

"Bullshit!"

Sasuke came back down the stairs with another bag and Karin chasing after him. Hana's eyes widened as her dad picked her up and they headed outside, after he buckled her in the back seat behind his, he got into the driver's seat and started the engine. He rolled down his window as Karin ran over to the truck.

"Sasuke please wait."

"I'll see you in court." He moved the gear shift into reverse. "And believe me, I'll get full custody of Hana." Then he backed out of the driveway and sped off down the road.

Hana looked behind her as she saw her mother fade from her line of vision as tears came to her eyes. She looked back up front and from the rear view mirror she saw something on her father's cheek.

"Daddy, please don't cry."

"I'm sorry angel."

* * *

_Six months later_

"Daddy!"

Hana came running into his bathroom as he was shaving his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to bug you." She grinned.

He finished shaving and wiped his face off before turning to his daughter. "Oh you're going to get it now."

She laughed and took off as he ran after her.

It had been six months since he left his wife and only five months since he filed for divorce and got custody of Hana. Karin had turned to drugs after Sasuke left her and the court saw her as an unfit parent. Sasuke was relieved to have gotten custody of Hana and so were his parents. Sasuke and Hana moved into a two bedroom apartment until he could find a better house for them to live in. He managed to take a leave of absence from the military after speaking with his commanding officer. But he could be called back at any moment should he be needed.

Sasuke grabbed Hana and hugged her tightly before kissing her cheek and tickling her. She screamed out with laughter before he put her down and ran to hide behind the coffee table. "Daddy can we go have pizza today?" She asked as she giggled when he chased her again.

He picked her up. "I don't know, is that what you want to eat for lunch?"

"Yes." She said quickly. "I want pizza."

"Alright then."

"Yay!" She hugged him. "Can we go now?"

"You're so eager," He smiled at her.

"Of course I am." She giggled.

Sasuke shook his head and set her down. "Go get your shoes and jacket."

She nodded and ran off to her room as he went back to his to finish getting ready. He switched his white shirt and black sweats for a black long-sleeved one and dark blue jeans. He slipped on his black boots and grabbed his wallet, keys and cell phone.

"Come on daddy!" Hana called out to him as she stood by the door.

"Okay, okay," He smirked.

_I spoil her too much...

* * *

_

"Yummy!" Hana squealed as she bit off a piece of the cheese pizza she was eating.

Sasuke smiled at her as he took a bite of his own piece. He grabbed the napkin to wipe his mouth as Hana copied his actions before turning to him with a grin on her face. "Daddy, can I have a little brother?"

Sasuke choked on his water when he took a sip. "Now, sweetheart, we've talked about that..."

"I know, but you and mommy aren't together anymore," She said with a frown before an idea struck her, "I'll find you somebody to have a baby with." Then she got off the chair she was sitting at and ran off.

"Hana!" He went after her, he stopped and looked around to see she had stopped at a table with two women.

The blond haired girl smiled at Hana, as her pink-haired friend got out of her seat to kneel down to her level. "What can I do for you little one?"

"Will you help my daddy have a baby? I really want a little brother."

"Oh my god Sakura," Her friend Ino giggled at her.

"Hana!" Sasuke's eye twitched as he looked over at his daughter with a blush on his face.

"Oh is this your daughter?" Sakura asked as she stood up.

"Yeah, I am so sorry for, uh...what she said to you..." He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"It's okay, really."

Sasuke smiled hesitantly before he Knelt down to Hana and tapped her nose gently. "Don't you ever run off like that again."

"Sorry daddy." Then he stood up.

He was still blushing as he glanced back to Sakura.

"So how long have you been living here?" Sakura asked as she tried to break the uncomfortable silence.

"We just moved here six months ago," Sasuke replied as Hana grabbed his hand.

"Oh, maybe I'll see you guys around then," She stated with a smile.

"Yeah maybe," Sasuke nodded before they said their goodbyes and Hana dragged him away from the table.

"He's cute," Ino said as her friend joined her back at the table.

"Yeah, he is."

"So," Ino grinned, "How about you ask him to a movie or dinner?"

"Ino, I doubt he wants to date right now, from the looks of it, he's a single parent who just recently got divorced."

"Oh, you're no fun."

"No, I'm being realistic."

_On the other hand..._She smiled shyly.  
_

* * *

_

Sasuke was sitting in his room reading an action thriller novel when he suddenly heard a noise before he heard crying as Hana ran into his room. She jumped on his bed and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest.

"Honey what's wrong?" He set his book aside and loosened her arms from around his waist to lift her up and cradle her against him.

"I-I heard a noise outside my window," She sniffled and reached up to wipe her eyes.

"Wait here, I'll go check it out, okay?"

She nodded and sat down on his bed as he got up and slipped his house shoes on. He walked towards the front door and walked outside as the cool night air whipped at his face. After glancing and searching around the perimeter of his apartment, he couldn't find anything that would have made the noise.

Hana was still sitting on his bed when he came back inside and locked the door. She looked up at him with tears still present on her face and he sat down next to her to wipe her cheeks with his thumb. "It's alright," He said, "I didn't see anything out there."

"Are y-you sure?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"I-I don't want to go back to sleep."

"You have to sleep goofy, you can't stay up forever."

"Can I stay in here with you?"

After another nod, Hana settled down in the bed as Sasuke went to shut the light off and came back to lay next to her. She snuggled up against his side as he wrapped his arm around her small frame before he heard her speak up.

"Daddy?"

"Hn."

"I love you." She murmured as she finally drifted off to sleep.

"I love you too, goodnight angel," He whispered as he looked up at the ceiling before shutting his eyes.

* * *

"You can't catch me!" Hana yelled as she ran through the park and hid behind a tree.

Sasuke smirked and ran over to the tree she was behind, but as she peered around the trunk he came up behind her and picked her up causing her to let out a scream of surprise. Passing civilians looked over to them as Hana giggled and Sasuke started tickling her.

"Daddy! Stop!" She laughed as she tried to squirm her way from her father's hold.

"Nope, you said I couldn't catch you, but now look who's in trouble." He chuckled before setting her on her feet.

She pouted before lunging at him, which knocked him to the ground on his back. Hana laughed at him as he sat up with her in his arms.

"Aw, isn't that cute?"

Sasuke looked over to the new arrival and spotted Sakura.

"Hi."

"So is this how you spend your Sunday?"

"Yeah, basically." Sasuke shrugged as Hana hid behind him. "I'm spending as much time with Hana as I can, before I have to leave again."

"Leave where?"

"To go back to the military."

"You're a soldier?"

"Yeah," He stated.

"I hate that he has to leave all the time," Hana said as she came to stand in front of Sakura, "But I know he has to do his job to protect me and my family."

Sasuke smiled at his daughter before he ruffled her hair, she glanced at him. "Daddy? Can I go play on the slide?"

"Sure." He nodded as she jumped with joy and ran off to the small play area in the park.

"So, how old is she?" Sakura asked.

"She'll be eight next week." He turned to her before he sat down on the grass.

Sakura followed his actions and sat next to him, deciding she could put her daily jogging on hold. "Where is her mother?"

"I don't know, after Hana and I left her, she turned to drugs, lost her home, now I don't know where she is," Sasuke leaned back on his arms. "Hana seems to be doing fine without her, Karin was never a nurturing mother anyway."

"Why did you leave her?"

Sasuke remained silent, this girl was prying way to deep into his personal life and he was a little suspicious of what her plans were. He glanced at her for a moment as she stared back at him with innocent green eyes. "What does it matter?"

"Well, there has to be a reason, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have left her at all."

"She cheated on me while I was away in the military, is that a good enough reason?" He growled at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

"You know what, it is," He stood up, "And I would appreciate it if you just let it go, stop asking me about the fucked up wife and marriage that I had." He turned and stalked away towards Hana, after telling her they were leaving she nodded and they both headed home.

Sakura sat on the grass and watched as they vanished from her sight. _Way to go Sakura. _She sighed and stood up to head home._  


* * *

_

"He got mad at you, so what?" Ino shrugged as she watered the plants at her home. "It's not like he won't get over it, just give him some time to calm down."

"I don't know Ino, he was pretty pissed."

"Oh give it a rest, just apologize to him."

"I would, only I don't have a way to reach him."

"Hmm...that is a problem, oh well, I'm sure you'll run into him again."

Sakura straightened the shirt of her red scrubs outfit since she had the night shift at the hospital as a paramedic. "Yeah what are the chances of that happening?"

* * *

A loud noise shook Hana from her sleep. _That sounded like a..._

"What did daddy say?"

_"If you ever hear a gunshot what do you do?"_

_"I grab my cell phone and hide in the back of my closet before dialing 911 and wait for you."_

She grabbed the phone from the table by her bed and ran into the closet_. _She shut the door and sat behind all of her clothes that were hung up before she dialed the emergency number. Once she was sure they were on their way she set the phone aside and waited. Several minutes passed as fear settled into her stomach.

"Daddy where are you?" She whispered to herself.

A thump made her flinch as she clenched her fists in anticipation. "Hana?" She heard someone call her.

The closet door opened and Hana nearly screamed before she realized it was her father. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up and went to flip the light switch before sitting down on her bed. Hana pulled away to look at him and she had tears come to her eyes when she saw blood on his head just above his eyebrow.

"Daddy, your bleeding."

He reached up to touch his head and realized she was right. "I'm fine sweet heart."

"What happened?"

"We had someone break in."

"I called 911."

Sasuke nodded just as he heard the sirens coming closer. He picked her up and headed to the front door, Hana saw a man lying on the floor unconscious as they passed. When Sasuke opened the door he saw two policemen heading towards their apartment along with two paramedics.

"Sasuke?"

He was surprised to see Sakura walking up to him when the policemen gave her room to go check for any injuries while they headed inside and found the man on the ground. Sasuke and Hana looked to the pink-haired female as she stopped by them. When she spotted the cut on his head she went to work to clean and bandage it up.

After she finished Sasuke muttered his thanks and sat down on the couch while Hana climbed over to sit on his lap to hug him tightly. He wrapped his arm around her and turned to look at Sakura who was staring at him.

"What?"

"Nothing, listen, um about what happened at the park?"

"Forget it, its okay." He managed a smile before he gave a sigh.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He smiled softly. "It's just been a long night."

"Mr. Uchiha?" They both looked up to the policeman that addressed him. "Mind if we talk to you for a few minutes, we need to ask you some questions."

"Would you mind?" Sasuke gestured to his daughter and Sakura nodded as he passed her over for her to hold.

Sasuke stood and followed the male so they could talk with the other uniformed officer as well. Hana watched him walk away before turning to look at the woman holding her. She reached up to rub her eye and yawned.

"Are you and my dad friends?" She asked sleepily.

"Yes, I think we are." Sakura nodded with a smile on her lips.

"That's nice, daddy was really sad when he left my mom, I saw him cry."

That sent a pang to her heart and she smiled sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"He's doing better now, but I know he's still hurting." Hana yawned again and closed her eyes.

As Hana fell asleep in her arms, Sakura looked over to Sasuke, he seemed so strong and doing just fine, but after hearing what Hana said, she saw him in a different light. She smiled at Sasuke when he came back and the officers took the man from the apartment.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah." He nodded and looked at Hana. "I see she fell asleep."

"Yep, she's a sweet girl."

"I know." He smiled and reached out to brush a strand of hair from his daughters face.

"I guess I should be on my way out." Sakura smiled as Sasuke took Hana from her arms.

As she headed towards the door with her bag of medical equipment, Sasuke called out to her. "Hey, uh, would you like to...I don't know, catch a movie or something sometime?"

Sakura turned to him and saw that he was looking at the floor with a blush on his face. With a grin she nodded. "That would be nice, I'll leave my number for you." Once she wrote down her cell number, she left with a wave, promising she would come by tomorrow to check the cut on his head.

Sasuke smiled and he realized that he looked forward to seeing her again._ This could be interesting.

* * *

_

Sasuke jolted awake as his phone emitted a loud ringing noise. He reached out lazily and pressed the button to answer it before putting it against his ear. He sat up suddenly as he muttered several curses.

"We need you back here ASAP."

"Yes sir."

"Head out on the next flight available."

"Yes sir."

He ended the call and moved to swing his legs over the side of the bed. He shook his head and clenched the phone tightly in his hand and then made a call to his parents. His mom was the one to answer the phone.

"Hi sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"Um, mom, I need you to take Hana for awhile."

"That won't be a problem, can I ask why though?"

"I'm needed back-"

"Oh no. Sweetie, Hana's going to be heartbroken." She cut him off knowing what he was going to say.

"I know mom, but I have to go."

"I understand sweetie, when do you leave?"

"As soon as I can, I'm taking off on the next flight out, can you meet us at the airport?"

"Yeah, I'll call Itachi and tell him to meet us there too, you know how he is every time you have to take off."

With a sigh he agreed. "I'll see you soon."

Once he called the airport and booked his flight he hesitated to make one last call. He stared down at the slip of paper in his hand before dialing the number.

_"Hi, you've reached Sakura, leave a message and I'll return your call when I become available."_

"Uh, hey Sakura, this is Sasuke, um, I'm just calling to let you know we'll have to put our plans for the movie off for a while, I've been called back to duty and my plane leaves in three hours, so, I guess that's it, I just wanted to say goodbye just in case you think I ditched you, well, I'll talk to you some other time. Bye."

He breathed out a puff of breath before standing and going to his closet to put on his combat uniform. Once he was dressed he grabbed his green duffel bag that was already packed with everything he was required to have.

Heading down the hallway, he set his bag down on the floor and entered Hana's room. She was dressed and sitting on her bed holding a small raccoon stuffed animal in her arms. She looked up and spotted him just as tears came to her eyes. She wiped hastily at the crystal drops as a sob escaped her lips. Sasuke walked over to sit next to her and pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back to comfort her.

"Daddy, don't go...hic...please don't l-leave me." She cried into his chest.

"I'm sorry sweetie, I'm so sorry." He murmured against her head as his grip tightened around her.

"I'm scared daddy."

"I know, I am too."

He sat holding her for another half hour before they left to head out to the airport. Sasuke hated this, he hated to leave her, but what choice did he really have?

* * *

"This sucks man," Itachi muttered as he hugged his younger brother tightly. "Just when we think you'll have more time to be home, you get sent off again."

"Yeah, but I still have a year to serve before I can think about retirement."

"I understand, you just be sure to come back."

"I will."

"I love you bro."

"Don't get all mushy on me on me now." Sasuke muttered.

"Oh shut up." Itachi hugged him again.

"I love you too man, watch out for mom, dad and Hana for me."

"Will do."

Sasuke turned to his parents, his mom hugged him first and whispered to him how much she would miss him into his ear. "You come back to us you hear." She stated.

"I will mom, I love you."

"I love you too." Tears pricked at her eyes as she pulled away from the embrace to let Fugaku hug his youngest son.

"Be careful Sasuke, you know we love you and we're proud of you."

"I know." Sasuke knew his father wasn't very vocal with his feelings, but he felt it just the same from the hug he received from him.

He turned to his daughter and she looked up with tears in her eyes. He knelt down and she threw herself into his arms while she cried. "Please come back daddy, promise you'll come back ."

"I promise."

He let her go and she clutched the raccoon tighter to her chest before she reached into her pocket and pulled out a bracelet made of different color strings. The colors, red, black and gray were twined together in a braided pattern. She smiled sadly and held it out to him, he smiled back at her as she pulled his arm and then slipped it onto his wrist.

"It's for luck, and so you won't forget me."

"Honey, I won't forget you."

"I know." She nodded and hugged him again.

"Flight 329 now boarding." They heard over the intercom.

"That's your cue." Itachi smiled at him.

"I love you sweetheart."

"I love you too daddy."

He stood and grabbed his bag and turned to walk away.

"Sasuke! Wait!"

He turned and looked to see who called his name. He was surprised to see Sakura running towards him, her hair was thrown into a messy ponytail and she was out of breath by the time she stopped in front of him. She stumbled slightly and he caught her as she steadied herself.

"I'm surprised to see you here."

"Well you didn't think I'd let you leave without a real goodbye, did you?"

"I didn't think you'd make it here before I left."

"Well I'm here now and I have something for you."

"What-"

His eyes widened when she kissed him fully on the lips. "That's to remind you of the date you owe me when you return," She said when she pulled away.

"No problem."

With a final goodbye he boarded his plane and left them standing in the terminal.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Sasuke left and Hana was having trouble sleeping again. She got out of the bed she was sleeping in and headed down to the living room of her grandparents house. She paused when she heard voices.

"How are we going to tell her?"

She strained to listen to, Itachi? _What is he doing here?_

"I don't know. How do you tell a little girl that her dad isn't coming home?"

"Let me tell her."

_Sakura?_

"I've dealt with children, maybe I can break the news to her gently."

"I guess, but how are you going to explain to her that Sasuke might be dead."

_Dead? Daddy no!  
_

Her knees felt week as she ran quietly back to her room. She crawled onto the bed and clutched her pillow to her before she grabbed the picture of her father from her nightstand. It was the one thing she knew was her only connection to him. A photograph of him in his uniform.

"You promised, daddy, you promised me." She cried against her pillow as she stared at the picture. "You have to come back."

* * *

_Daddy come home oh please, Daddy come home

* * *

_

**A/N So here's another story that is a two shot.**

**I'm still working on Formula For Disaster and The Asylum, they should be updated as soon as I get the chance. With working a full time job I can't seem to focus on writing lately.  
**

**I guess that's all I have to say, please read and review.  
**


	6. Break Away II

**Break Away**

_-Relief-_

_(Part Two)  
_

* * *

_But we know we got what it takes to make it  
In the end everything is gonna be alright  
_

* * *

"You're lying!" Hana shouted.

"Hana, I know this is hard but your dad is-"

"He's not dead, he promised he would come back, he promised me!"

"Sweetheart, you have to realize there is a high possibility that he isn't coming back."

"I know he'll come back, you and Uncle Itachi said his boss told you he went missing," She cried, "Just because he went missing doesn't mean he's dead!" She got off the couch and ran to her room.

Sakura heard the door slam and she sighed softly. "That didn't work out as I hoped."

"I'll say," Itachi said as he walked into the living room, "She's in denial, she still believes he's alive, I want to believe it too, but we have to assume the worst, and until its proven otherwise, Hana will continue to believe he's okay."

"I know, have you gotten any word from Sasuke's commanding officer?"

"They haven't been able to locate him, they don't know if he was captured and being held prisoner or if he's lying out in the desert somewhere bleeding to death."

"Oh man, if only the military figured out they were sending their men into a trap." Sakura could feel her eyes sting.

Itachi punched the wall. "Damn it." He muttered several curses under his breath before turning to leave the room.

Sakura turned to look out the window. "Come on Sasuke, I know you're out there."

* * *

The metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth as he stared at the wall of the room he was held in. He shifted slightly to lie on his back and immediately regretted it when sharp waves of pain shot through his body causing him to let out a low groan. He was dying and he knew it, his blood was still seeping through his tattered clothes from the gunshot wounds he had sustained before he was captured. Though he didn't give out any information, the men still enjoyed making sure he suffered.

His gaze traveled down to his wrist where the bloodstained bracelet still held on, but just barely. Grief washed over him as he thought of his daughter and the promise that he made, a promise he was going to break. He had lost too much blood already, even if his team managed to come for him, there was no guarantee he would survive.

"I'm sorry Hana," He managed to say before darkness consumed him again. _Mom...Dad...Itachi...Sakura...Naruto...somebody take care of her for me..._

Outside, explosions shook the ground with powerful force, shouts and the firing of guns filled the night air, but Sasuke didn't hear a single thing as his breathing slowed with each passing second.

* * *

"We have to pull back!" Kakashi yelled.

"I'm not leaving without him!" Naruto stated with a yell of his own.

"Naruto we're not even sure if he's in there!"

"I know he is! Damn it Kakashi, I know he's in there, I know he's alive!" Naruto shouted back with determination. "Whether you have my back or not, I'm going in to get him out."

Naruto took off and Kakashi cursed silently before taking after the blonde haired male. He knew he had to pull himself together and get control of his team, without rational thought, all of them were easy targets for those that were firing at them. Kakashi signaled for Neji and the others to cover them as they made their way towards the building. He knew Naruto and himself had the ability to infiltrate the compound, but the question was, was Sasuke even inside? And if he was, how bad is his condition?

The blonde male was the first to reach the building and he managed to kick in a door, the sound being masked by the gunfire outside. Naruto used his gun to lead the way down the dimly lit hallway, the light attached to his helmet providing just a little more light to guide them. Naruto opened doors and checked inside, only to be disappointed and moved onto the next. He was growing frantic with each second as he checked the rooms.

"Naruto he's not here."

But Naruto didn't hear Kakashi speak, instead he continued down the hallway as Kakashi fell back to double check the rooms his teammate had already went through, just in case he missed something. It only took him a few seconds to realize Naruto had grown awfully quiet. When the silver-haired male went to search him out, he found out why.

Naruto was on his knees next to a dark form on the ground. When Kakashi realized it was a body, he felt fear seize his chest before stepping over to his side. One glance down confirmed Kakashi's gut feeling. Sasuke was lying cold and wounded in his own blood, his skin was so pale, Kakashi wasn't even sure there was any blood left in him.

"Oh God," Naruto tore at Sasuke's blood soaked shirt, ripping the material from his friend's body. "Kakashi, help me." The Captain heard Naruto's voice crack from that plea and he knew he had to get him out of here.

"Naruto, we need to go."

"No!" Naruto worked frantically, tearing at his own clothes, trying to stop the bleeding with the material he took from his shirt.

Kakashi knelt beside Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder before using his other hand to check for a pulse in Sasuke's neck. He shook his head when he confirmed there wasn't one. "He's gone."

"No, he's not." Naruto leaned over Sasuke and shook his motionless body. "Do you hear me Sasuke? You're not gone, just open your eyes."

No movement came from him and Naruto felt his eyes sting before his hands shook. "Damn it Sasuke! Hana needs you!" He shook his head. "I need you, you've been my best friend since we were toddlers, I need you to be my best man at my wedding...your family... all of us need you..." He trailed off.

He trembled as tears fell from his eyes, landing on Sasuke's pale skin. The gunfire outside had ceased and Kakashi new they only had a short amount of time before they were discovered. "We need to go."

"I won't leave him." Naruto growled.

Shaking his head, Kakashi forced Naruto up and pushed him through the door. He glanced back at Sasuke and knelt down once more, he grabbed Sasuke's wrists and placed them together on his stomach, his heart skipped a beat when he felt a small flutter against his finger. His hand flinched as he felt it again and he knew what it was.

_A pulse!_

* * *

Sakura sighed and sat down on Hana's bed. The young girl had tired herself out from the tears she had cried over the last few days. Sakura had a hard time hiding her own tears, her heart was breaking for Sasuke's family and what they must be feeling at this time. She had a hard enough time accepting that Sasuke could be dead, but she still held a sliver of hope, even if it was just for Hana's sake.

A loud banging caused Sakura to jump, she placed a hand over her racing heart and stood up to investigate the source. She peered over the railing at the stairs and spotted Fugaku looking though the window by the door. Mikoto stood at the foot of the stairs with Itachi behind her, his hands rested on her shoulders in a protective manner.

"Shit, it's Naruto." Fugaku swore and pulled open the door.

Naruto rushed in, his face smeared with dirt and grease paint, his dirty camouflage clothing letting them know he just came back from a mission. His breathing was labored as he shook, making Sakura wonder what was going on. "We found him."

It took all of them a minute to make sense of what he said. Mikoto's knees buckled but Itachi managed to catch her before she fell. When he stood her up straight she placed her hand against her mouth and cried. Fugaku pulled her into an embrace as Itachi looked up to Sakura, he wasn't staring at her, but at the person at her side. Hana looked down at Naruto as she realized what he said. "Where is my daddy?"

* * *

Hana couldn't move as she stared at the hospital bed Sasuke laid on. She trembled at the sight of the bloodied bandages wrapped around his chest before she started crying and ran from the room. Mikoto and Itachi chased after her as Sakura felt tears come to her eyes. Fugaku let out a shaky exhale of breath and stepped outside the room. Sakura knew he was fighting tears and didn't want her to see them, but it was too late to hide them. Even though the doctor had told all of them that he would make a full recovery, the fact that he came close to dying, still hadn't set their minds at ease.

His wounds hadn't been as bad as they thought, the amount of blood that he lost was what they were worried about. He nearly bled to death and if Naruto and Kakashi hadn't found him when they did, he would be dead by now.

Sakura stood by Sasuke's bedside and stared down at his face, the oxygen mask helping him breathe easier than when Naruto had found him. She reached out for his hand and gripped it in hers, she was surprised when his hand curled around hers for a split second before relaxing again. His eyes remained closed despite his response to her touch. Using her other hand she brushed his hair away from his face and caressed his cheek.

A low moan reached her ears, she looked down at Sasuke and saw he shifted his head slightly towards her. "Sasuke," She whispered and leaned down to him.

"Sakura..." Her name came softly from his lips.

She flinched and leaned closer. "I'm right here Sasuke, you're going to be okay."

"...Hana," He uttered weakly as his eyes fluttered open just a crack.

"She's okay."

"Tell her I'm...sorry and I love her." Then he was unconscious again.

"I will." She kissed his forehead and ran her hand through his hair in a comforting manner.

She pulled away when Mikoto walked into the room holding Hana tightly in her arms. Hana let go and turned to look at Sakura and her father, her eyes were red from crying and Sakura knew she was on the verge of letting them fall again.

"Hana, your daddy wanted you to know he is sorry and he loves you." Sakura smiled softly as Hana looked at her with wide eyes.

"He was awake?" Mikoto asked.

"Just briefly."

Mikoto set her granddaughter down and the young girl ran over to the bedside. Sakura pulled up a chair and Hana climbed onto it so she could get a better look at her dad. "He's going to be alright Hana."

"I know." Hana's voice quivered and Sakura merely hugged the young girl tightly. "I'm glad he's home."

"We all are sweetheart...we all are."

* * *

Sasuke's recovery was going smoothly, though he hadn't woken up completely, he still managed a few words before he fell back to sleep. The doctors said he would be in and out of consciousness due to the pain medications he was on, but as long as he was breathing, he could have all the time he needed to sleep. Mikoto had taken Hana home so she could get some sleep of her own, Itachi and Fugaku came and went from the hospital and to work.

Now as Sakura sat alone by his side, she couldn't help but gaze at the parts of his torso that weren't covered. Even injured and bed ridden, she couldn't help but feel a strong attraction to him. Not by his looks, there was something else that had her drawn to him, she just couldn't place why. She sat forward and grabbed his hand again, she ran the pad of her thumb across the back of his hand and sighed with content.

He moved and groaned before his eyes cracked open slowly then opened all the way. He turned his head to stare at Sakura as he blinked to clear his vision. Sakura gave him a smile which he managed to return with his own. "What time is it?" He asked in a raspy voice.

"Its around noon."

"How long have I been here?"

"A couple weeks, believe it or not."

"Shit," He muttered quietly, "How's Hana?"

"She's doing better than any of us thought she would." She smiled again. "Your mother took her home to get some sleep a couple of hours ago."

"Hn."

Sakura stood up, she peered over him with a look of longing and relief. Sasuke noticed and was about to say something to her about it when she suddenly moved aside the oxygen mask and kissed him. His eyes widened as his heart rate went haywire, the heart monitor gave off an alarm and a nurse came running into the room.

"What happened?" She asked.

Sasuke blushed and Sakura laughed nervously and sat back down. "Oh nothing."

The nurse looked skeptical but let it slide as she switched off the small alarm and left the room. "Do me a favor," Sasuke said as he looked at her, "Don't kiss me again." Sakura felt her heart clench tightly. "At least not until I get out of here." As he said that, the tightness in her chest vanished and she blushed.

"Deal, but only if you promise to take me and Hana out to dinner." She stated with a smile.

"I thought you wanted a date?"

"I do, but who says we can't bring Hana along, there are always other nights we can go out on an official date, but Hana needs some time with you after you get released."

"You know what, you're not what I expected." He said.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Definitely good." He smirked. "But we'll talk more about that later." He chuckled but stopped suddenly and clutched at one of his wounds.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Yeah, it just hurts to laugh." He cringed but a smile graced his lips.

"Aw, poor baby." She grinned.

"Don't even go there woman," Sasuke muttered and let out a soft sigh, the smiling not leaving his face.

"Aw," She pouted, "Why not?"

Sasuke shook his head at her pout as she laughed before grabbing his hand and holding it tightly. "Boy I can't wait to get out of here."

"I'll bet."

"Daddy!" The two of them looked over to see Hana run into the room with Mikoto right behind her. "You're awake!" She stopped by the bedside.

"Well don't just stand there, I could really use one of those special hugs of yours." He smiled and Hana nodded.

Sakura picked her up and held her out to Sasuke, Hana wrapped her small arms around his neck while Sasuke's arms curled around her middle. She was so small she fit in her father's arm perfectly. "I missed you daddy." Sasuke heard her whispered words and smiled softly.

"I missed you too sweetheart." He pulled away and left a light kiss on her forehead. "So what have you been up to while I was sleeping like a baby?"

Hana giggled and kissed his cheek. "Sakura and I made lots of bracelets, she played games with me, oh and her, grandma and me went shopping for clothes and stuff."

"Sounds like they kept you occupied." He glanced at Sakura and his mother and mouthed a 'thanks' to them, they each replied with a nod.

"I really like playing with Sakura, she's fun, more fun than mommy ever was, but mommy never played with me anyway."

"Sweetheart..." Sasuke hugged her again. "Your mommy was a very social person, not even with me."

"She made you sad and she made me sad, but me and you are together forever, right?" Hana looked into his eyes.

"Right."

"Pinky promise?" She held out her little finger.

"Pinky promise." And Sasuke curled his pinky around hers.

* * *

Sakura led Sasuke up the steps to his parents house, since he would be staying with them while he recovered. "You okay?" She asked him.

"Yeah, just a little sore." He rubbed at his shoulder underneath the white shirt he wore.

After spending another month in the hospital, Sasuke was finally glad to be released, though he was still in pain sometimes he didn't let that stop him from coming home. Sakura smiled at him as she opened the door and when Sasuke walked through the doorway, he was greeted with a shout of "Welcome Home". Sasuke smirked and shook his head. "Damn it guys, I told you no parties."

"Oh come on Sasuke, lighten up, we're all glad to have you home and in one piece." Naruto grinned but Sasuke could see something else in his eyes as all of his friends and family hugged him, Hana being the first to get to him.

"Alright, we will be having dinner in the backyard, I need volunteers to help set the tables and chairs." Fugaku, Itachi and Kakashi were the first to head out after Mikoto made her announcement, the others followed closely behind.

"Come on Sasuke." Sakura held out her hand.

"I'll be there in a minute," He said, "I want to talk to Naruto." Sakura nodded and gently grabbed Hana's hand.

Once he was alone with his best friend, Naruto's smile faded from his face.

"Naruto, Kakashi told me about the rescue mission."

"I figured he would have."

"You're the one that found me."

"Yeah, I was, and I'll tell you something, I don't ever want to see you in that condition again," Naruto stated, "I couldn't handle it a second time."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, just be careful."

"That won't be a problem," He said.

"Good."

"And Naruto?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks for saving my life."

"No thanks are necessary, you would have done the same for me."

Sasuke nodded as Naruto grabbed him in a brotherly hug. "We're all just glad you're alive."

"I know."

"Daddy!" Hana came running into the room as Naruto released him.

"What's up?"

"Grandma said you better hurry up or she's going to come in here and drag you out by your ear." She grabbed her own ear. "But why would she do that? That would hurt."

Sasuke chuckled and ruffled her hair before she grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen. "Well we can't have that now can we? Besides I'm sure she was just joking honey."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." Sasuke looked up and spotted his mother standing in the doorway.

"Uh..." He trailed off.

"Now come get something to eat." She looped her arm through his and led him and Hana outside with Naruto snickering behind them.

* * *

"Grandma told me that I should cut my hair, she thinks I would look more cute with it short." She played with her hair with one hand while the other moved to straighten the blue dress she wore.

"It's your decision sweetheart," Sasuke said as he picked up a piece of chicken with his fork.

His own clothes consisted of a pair of jeans and a black shirt with a black jacket over it.

"I don't know Sasuke, she would look cute with shorter hair." Sakura spoke up from across from Sasuke. "Short hair makes girls cute right?" She ran her hand through her own short hair and Sasuke rolled his eyes with a smirk on his lips.

"Fine, yes, girls with short hair seem to be more cute."

"Good, then I'll let Grandma cut it."

The waiter walked by and refilled their glasses with water. Sakura wanted a dinner date with him and his daughter and he made good on that deal. Sakura didn't mind spending time with Hana, she found the girl sweet and quite the talker, much like herself.

"That's fine sweetheart," Sasuke stated with a smile. "But just so you know, you'll always be cute no matter what hairstyle you have."

"Aw, aren't you sweet Sasuke." Sakura grinned as he blushed.

"Aw, daddy's blushing," Hana giggled.

"Isn't he cute?" Sakura said to Hana and they both laughed.

"Alright, enough with picking on the guy here."

"Okay, I have a question for both of you."

Sasuke and Sakura looked at her. "Can you start making a baby brother for me?"

Sakura snorted with laughter as Sasuke's face turned beat red. "O-kay, I thinks someone needs to go to sleep."

Once they finished their meals, Sasuke paid and they left the restaurant. Hana was pouting since no one answered her question. "I still have no answer here." She stuck out her lip farther and crossed her arms.

"Who knows Hana," Sakura began, "Maybe someday, we will." She stared at Sasuke and let him see the desire that flared in her eyes.

He leaned down to her ear. "Don't tempt me Sakura, I'm more than ready to rip that pretty black dress from your body." He smirked devilishly as she blushed.

"Hm, maybe I want you to," She said.

"You planning to stick around that long?"

"Only if you want me."

"That was stupid question." He kissed her on the lips. "Of course I want you."

"Than we'll see where this thing between us goes?" She asked.

"I plan on making it last a long while, if you think you can put up with me for that long."

"I think I can make the effort."

He chuckled and kissed her again.

"Eww!" Hana stuck her tongue out.

"You want some of this kiddo," He bent down and left a few kisses on her cheeks and forehead.

"Daddy!" She giggled and Sakura laughed at her face and Hana ran a few feet ahead of them.

"Hn, maybe I can convince my mom to watch Hana for awhile." He gave Sakura a suggestive wink. "If you know what I mean."

"Oh, I love naughty boys."

"Honey you haven't seen anything yet."

"Hm, that goes both ways Sasuke." She proved her point when she pinched his butt.

"Whoa, who is naughty now?"

"Like you said, you haven't seen anything yet."

"This is going to be a long night," He smirked slyly.

"Count on it."

* * *

_What we got is the beginning of love _

* * *

**A/N So I haven't decided if this story will have a third part. If I do decide to do one it will be later on through this anthology. :]  
**


	7. Scarred II

**Scarred II  
**

_-Pain-_

* * *

_These wounds won't seem to heal_  
_ This pain is just too real_  
_ There's just too much that time cannot erase_

* * *

Drip. Drip. Drip.

_The broken pipe made that awful sound every second, piercing his ears and sounding like the blood that spilled from his face. Through a swollen eye he managed to look at his teammate and best friend who lay on the cold hard floor withering with pain. His wounds weren't any better than the ones that marred his own body, the chains around his wrists rubbed his skin raw. He could swear his bones would start protruding his flesh soon enough.  
_

_He tried and failed to get to his friend's side, but he was chained to the wall hanging by his wrists. Many times he tried to call out to him, but all the yelling and screaming left his voice hoarse._

Clang

_They were coming again, that loud noise assured them every time. Their captors always taunted them this way, hitting the cell bars as they walked down the hall. The stomping of boots came next, but this time there were more than one pair, it sounded like a group of them._

Fuck

_When the door burst open he jumped and looked up into the eyes of his captors. The nasty smirks that stained their faces assured him of the pain that was about to come, not only for him, but for his teammate as well. They always said the same thing when they came in._

"Give us the Intel we want and we'll end this suffering."

_Yeah and where would that leave him and Juugo? These men would kill them the minute they received that information and then more soldiers would die. So staying quiet was their best option even if it meant death was knocking._

_"I've had it with this."_

_The first one that entered the room approached the male chained to the wall. "I have ways of making you talk." He gestured with his hand for his crew to unchain him, before walking over to the other man on the ground._

_"Hold him."_

_He brought out a knife, the metal gleaming with promise of the damage that would come. "Sasuke, you know this can stop."_

_He knew but he was tore between saving his best friend and protecting his fellow comrades. The man chuckled and shook his head before he plunged the knife into Juugo's side. Juugo let loose a scream filled with pain before the male lifted him to his knees and stabbed him repeatedly in the back._

No Juugo!

_"Stop!" Sasuke yelled when he managed to find his voice._

_"You know how to stop me Sasuke." He smirked before he slid the blade across Juugo's arm slow, digging deeper and deeper as Juugo yelled._

_"Don't!"_

_"Then tell me what I want to know!"_

_"Don't say an..anything S..Sasuke." Juugo struggled with his words as Sasuke looked into his eyes._

_"Shut up!" The man holding Juugo yelled._

_"Swear on your mother's life that you won't say anything," Juugo pleaded. "Promise me!"  
_

_Sasuke could only manage a nod but when the male behind Juugo moved, Sasuke couldn't yell fast enough. With one swift movement he slit Juugo's throat and let him drop to the ground where he shook and bled, the pain making him spasm heavily on the ground._

_"Juugo!"_

"Sasuke!"

With a jolt he flew upright as a pair of hands rested against his cheeks, sweat beaded his skin as his heavy breathing filled the room. He looked into a pair of green eyes that managed to slow his racing heart.

"It's okay, you're okay."

"Sakura."

It took him a few seconds to realize that he was in his room, in his home. Shaking, he moved to get off the bed as Sakura wrapped her arms around him keeping him seated on the mattress as he shook with fear.

"Sasuke." She kissed his temple and continued to hold him.

"I can't take this anymore." He dropped his head into his hands. "Why the hell am I having these dreams all of a sudden?"

"I don't know sweetheart," Sakura murmured into his shoulder.

He stood up silently and grabbed a pair of jeans and a white shirt. As he was getting dressed Sakura wrapped her arms around herself and looked at him with concern. "Where are you going?"

"I need to go for a walk."

"Want me to go with you?" She asked as she got off the bed and sauntered over to him.

"No."

His abruptness shocked her and she stepped away from him. Sasuke noted how she stopped approaching him and sighed silently. "I'm sorry." He moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her. "I just need some time alone to think."

"I understand."

"I'll be back."

"Be careful." She looked up at him and moved her hand to place it against his cheek.

"I will." He left a soft kiss on her lips before turning to head out of the room.

As he headed to the front door, he could still hear Juugo's cries of agony echoing in his ears. After slipping on his shoes, he grabbed the black jacket, which he kept on a rack near the door, and slipped it on before heading outside.

It was only three o'clock in the morning and he was out walking, that dream really messed with his head. The cool wind blew across his cheeks, stinging them with sharp kisses, but he paid it no attention. His nerves were shot, had he decided to take the car, he would have definitely gotten into an accident already. The moon still shone brightly in the sky with few clouds floating silently as its distant companions. At least he had some light to guide his way.

Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket, he walked slowly down the sidewalk as a few late night drivers passed down the road, but again he didn't acknowledge them. That dream, that same occurring dream plagued his mind every night for the last month.

_But why...?_

He hadn't had a dream about Juugo's death in a long while, why all of a sudden would it start now? He would guess it was because of the anniversary of Juugo's death coming up, but that couldn't be it, last year he didn't have these dreams, why now?

With one look towards the sky, he felt an ache in his heart, an ache that was so familiar. "Why now Juugo?"

* * *

Sakura tried to force her eyes to stay closed and go back to sleep, but having Sasuke out on his own after one of his nightmares scared her. Every night this month she was awakened by his screams, she cried the first night it happened. It still broke her heart to see him in such emotional pain, what he saw and what he experienced had taken its toll on his mentality.

The first night she shook him from his nightmare, she was sure he was going to break down, there was moisture in his eyes but he managed to stop the tears from falling. She knew he was trying to be strong, but he was dying inside.

"I should call his mom..."

The squeaking sound from the door had her sit upright before crawling off the bed. She ran out of the room and spotted Sasuke leaning against the front door, he was staring at the ground and he looked like he was lost. After watching him for a few seconds, she went to his side.

"Sasuke?" She called him.

No answer.

With a shaking hand she touched his cheek as he flinched and looked into her eyes and the pain that he felt was as plain as day. She felt tears sting her eyes. "Sasuke?" Her voice cracked.

"I-" He tried but shook his head and turned away from her.

"Don't." She made him look at her again. "Please, talk to me."

"I can't." He trembled. "I just can't."

* * *

_"Juugo!"_

_"Oh too bad." The man shook his head with disappointment. "He was my favorite victim."_

_Sasuke didn't even feel the pain of his own wounds anymore, the only pain he felt was the ache in his chest. He couldn't save him, Juugo was dying and there was nothing he could do to save him._

_"Well Sasuke, should I leave him to bleed out? Or..." He smirked as he took out a gun. "You could shoot him."_

_He removed all but one bullet from the chamber of the weapon and held it out to Sasuke. "Don't want your friend to suffer now, do you Sasuke?" He chuckled. "Come on Sasuke, end it all now."_

_"Do..it...Sasuke." He glanced at Juugo who managed to speak. "P-please."_

_"Juugo...I...I can't."_

_"My time...is up...please...end this...pain."_

_Sasuke looked into his friend's eyes and saw the plea that burned so strongly. "S-shoot me." With a nod, he took the gun from the man's hand._

_"You only have one shot, better make it count."_

_Then they left the room, leaving Sasuke alone with the gun, his guilt, and his dying friend. _

_"Sasuke."_

_"I should just turn this on myself."_

_"No!" Juugo forced out. "You need to live, both of us can't die."_

_"But Juugo-"_

_"Stop it...just stop thinking Sasuke and...do it..."_

_He raised the gun to his friend. Never in his life, did he think he would be in this position. He never expected his best friend to be on the other end of his gun, staring straight down the barrel._

_"You stay strong...you hear me..." He cringed. "Don't let them break you...survive for me, survive for...both of us."_

_"I will. I promise."_

_His finger pulled the trigger and a loud shot rang out._

"AH!" Sasuke had trouble catching his breath as Sakura came running into the room with panic and concern etched on her face.

"Sasuke!" She wrapped him up in her arms and held him tightly as his heavy breathing caressed her skin. "It's okay, I'm here."

"I...killed him...he's dead.. I..." Sakura hugged him even tighter.

* * *

"I don't know what to do." Sakura paced the kitchen as her mother and Mikoto watched her from the stools by the counter.

"Have you tried getting him to talk?"

"Yeah, but he said he can't..." She shook her head. "I'm scared for him."

"I'm starting to wonder..." Mikoto trailed off. "Did Sasuke let himself grieve after Juugo died?"

"Did he?"

"I don't know, but I never saw him cry about it, not once, but he could have done it in privacy, or maybe not even at all." Mikoto sighed and looked outside at the rain that was pelting the windows. "I can't believe Sasuke went walking out in this weather."

"I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen."

Mikoto smiled sadly at her. "I know honey, I know."

* * *

The rain sent shivers down his spine and covered his arms with small goose bumps. But he didn't care, nor did he care about the way his hair plastered to his face while water dripped from the tips. He was cold, but he couldn't bring himself to get out of the rain, he wanted to be cold, just how Juugo turned cold as the light disappeared from his eyes on the night of his death.

He shook his head at the thought and stopped walking to look up at the sky. Truthfully he should be at work, running his bar like he did every other day, but he just didn't have the energy to deal with people today. His emotions were all screwed up and if he came face to face with a mad drunk, well the results wouldn't be good that was for sure. So he decided to leave it closed for a couple of days and leaving a sign saying 'out with the flu'.

"Stupid."

Sighing for what seemed liked the millionth time that day, he headed back home, knowing full well what was waiting for him. His mother, Sakura's mother and of course Sakura herself. Not that he didn't mind their company, he just wanted to be left alone for awhile, was that too much to ask for. But he knew why they were all gathered at his home, they were worried.

That was something he really couldn't blame them for. But they could take the worry down a notch, just for a little while. He needed some space and he felt like he wasn't getting it with everyone crowding him and asking him if he was okay.

No. He wasn't okay. The friend, whom he killed, was haunting his mind nightly and he didn't know why. He thought he had gotten passed all of this grief a long time ago but he was wrong.

"I know why."

He really did feel like he knew. He was living the life Juugo had always wanted. A great family, a steady job, and of course that special someone he met. All of those things were what Juugo had wanted out of life and Sasuke was the one living it, not him.

"I don't deserve any of it..."

* * *

Sakura stared out the window as the rain picked up and the lightning flashed erratically outside. She was becoming more scared by the second, the storm was getting worse and Sasuke hadn't yet come home.

"Where are you?" She muttered under her breath, now she was wishing that Mikoto and her own mother were still here.

She glanced at the clock as it struck one in the morning and her fear increased at his prolonged absence. She was about to grab her keys and go out to find him, when the door opened and he walked in dripping wet. Running over to him, she threw her arms around him and held him tight, not minding the fact that he was soaked.

"You're freezing!" She pulled away and grabbed his hands, they felt like ice. "Come on." She pulled him to their room and then into the bathroom where she turned on the shower with the hot water on full blast.

When she moved to take off his jacket, he caught her hand. "Sasuke?" He looked into her eyes before he stepped away and said, "I'm sorry." She stopped him and made him face her. "Don't be." Then she kissed him and proceeded in removing his clothes. "Let me help you forget."

He didn't stop her as she stripped him of his clothes as well as stripped herself before pushing him into the shower stall. She captured his lips again as she ran her hands along his chest, spreading the warm water across his body.

"I love you Sasuke." She murmured against his lips.

"I love you too." He managed to say though the haze of emotional turmoil.

He got lost in the pleasure of her touch, only she could make him feel this way. She remembered the first night they had made love, she was frightened, especially after her ordeal with her ex boyfriend, but he managed to slay those fears and it turned into the best night of their life. He was there for her, now she wanted to be there for him, she wanted to be the one to take away the fear and pain.

"I'm always here Sasuke," She murmured against his chest as the steam rose in the stall, secluding them from the outside.

* * *

Sakura was brushing her hair as Sasuke came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder. Kissing her neck, he sighed with content before moving to kiss her temple.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him.

"I wish I knew."

"I know its hard-"

"No Sakura, its way worse than hard." He said as he cut her off. "I try and try not to think about it but I keep hearing Juugo's cries, his screams as they tortured him." He shook is head and ran his hands through his damp hair. "I'm scared its not going to stop."

Sakura hugged him tightly and rested her head against his chest. "I'm sorry."

"No." He sighed. "I'm the one that should be sorry."

"Why?"

"I know I've been real hard to put up with lately, I haven't been myself and I know I've been ignoring you since this started and I just-" She placed a finger against his lips, silencing him.

"Stop Sasuke. I understand what's going on and I don't blame you." She ran her hand through his hair. "I'm here for you and I will help you get through this."

"I know you are."

"Come on, I think you need some sleep." Then she proceeded to pull him towards the bed where she made him lay down and cuddled up against his side.

He sighed with content as she rested her head against his chest.

* * *

_Numbness. Guilt. Shame._

_There was nothing Sasuke hadn't thought about as he continued to take the blows from the enemy._

_Fear. Anger. Hate._

_What he felt didn't matter, his friend was gone for good and nothing was going to bring him back, nothing would change it. He wanted to die, there was no way he was ever going to escape this there was no freedom after this, after this was death..._

* * *

Sakura felt him move and before long he began thrashing in his sleep. She sat up immediately and held his arms down, trying to keep him from lashing out at her. He screamed loudly as if he were in pain before he tried to turn over. She held strong but fear for him began to shake her nerves.

"Sasuke!" She called out to him. "Sasuke wake up!"

She panicked when she realized he wasn't waking from it this time, she tried shaking him and calling out his name several more times before she rolled off the bed and went to turn the light on. Dashing back to the bed she crawled on top of him and placed her hands against his cheeks.

"Sasuke. Come on, come back to me." She tapped his face. "Babe please."

"Ah!" He yelled and clenched his fists before suddenly snapping awake nearly knocking his head against Sakura's.

"Sasuke." She calmly called him as he moved out from beneath her and stood up to prowl around the room. "Hey." She ran over to him and stopped him mid-step as his mind raced with images.

"I can't take this anymore!" He clutched his head and ran from the room after grabbing a shirt and slipping it on.

Once he made it to the front door he thrust it open and burst out into the night, his feet were bare and he just kept running, running away from God only knew what. He was nearly out of breath before he stopped and slowed to a walk, only then did he realize where he was.

The cemetery.

He stared down and spotted that same tombstone that haunted him, Juugo's face came to mind, his bloodied body, the screams, everything. "Why Juugo...?" He fell to his knees. "I'm sorry." His voice cracked. "I sorry I let you down. I'm sorry I lived and you had to die...I'm sorry..."

He stood and fell back against a nearby tree and slid to the ground, his eyes glossy as the evidence of tears stained his cheeks. The grief seized his chest, suffocating him as the tears leaked from his eyes in a steady flow. "Please...just make it stop."

"Sasuke?" A soft voice called him.

He turned his head and found Sakura standing just a few feet away. He averted his gaze, too ashamed to look her in the eyes as she came over to him and knelt down on the ground by his side. "It wasn't your fault Sasuke."

"I know Juugo would say the same but it still won't change anything." His voice shook and Sakura reached out to hug him as he broke down again, her own eyes filled with tears and she wished she could take away the pain.

"Juugo wouldn't want you dwelling on the past, isn't that what you told me before?"

"I know, I know. I tried but I..." He shook his head as she hugged him tighter.

"It's okay Sasuke, it's okay." She kissed the top of his head and rocked him gently as his tears soaked her shirt.

_"You need to live, both of us can't die."_

The memories surfaced again as he remembered what Juugo had told him.

_"You stay strong...you hear me..." _

Sasuke knew this grief should have been released long ago, this was the first time he actually cried for his lost friend. He couldn't change the past, he had to look towards the future, which is what he should have done and tried harder to do._  
_

_"Don't let them break you...survive for me..._

_...survive for...both of us."_

* * *

_It was never your fault Sasuke...I don't blame you and I never did...move on with your life...just live...  
_

Sasuke snapped awake and sat up_, _he glanced around the room and saw that Sakura wasn't in bed. He got up and headed down to the kitchen, not bothering to put a shirt on. He found her in the kitchen making eggs on the stove, he turned and left to head into the study. He looked up at the case where Juugo's uniform lay alongside his other military belongings. He reached up and opened the case to take out the picture.

He stared at Juugo's face and sighed softly before replacing the picture just as Sakura walked into the room. "Hey."

"Oh hey." Sasuke turned to her.

"I went to the room and you weren't in bed..."

"Yeah..."

"How are you doing?"

"I think I'm okay." He smiled gently. "No nightmares."

"That's good."

"Hn."

"Baby steps Sasuke."

She walked over to him, taking caution to what he may be feeling at that point. Was he truly okay, or was he on the verge of breaking down again? Carefully she slipped an arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder. It didn't seem to satisfy him since he turned and embraced her fully. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being patient with me and being there for me when I needed it most."

She reached up and placed her hand against his face, feeling the slight growth of stubble on his cheek. She smiled and felt tears come to her eyes. "I'll always be there for you Sasuke, no matter what."

"Why are you crying?" He asked as he kissed her brow.

"I was scared for you." She admitted. "I didn't know what to do to help you, I was worried."

"I'm sorry I scared you, I'll make it up," Sasuke murmured as he moved to kiss her neck as she dropped her hand from his face. "I know."

She moaned as he bit the sensitive skin on her neck and realized where this was going, then she remembered the eggs she cooked. "What about breakfast?"

"Forget breakfast," He muttered huskily as he picked her up and carried her to their room. "I'm skipping straight to dessert." He placed her on the bed and crawled on top of her and began to remove the nightgown she had worn to bed.

"There's no dessert after breakfast, silly." She grinned, glad to see he was returning to the man that she fell in love with.

"Hn, for me there is." And he kissed her to prove just that.

* * *

_I got all I need right here with you  
And these scars won't hold me down  
_

* * *

**A/N Haha, yes I couldn't help but write a small sequel for Scarred and I've been thinking and playing with ideas and I was wondering...how would you guys feel about a sequel to Formula For Disaster?**

**Just throwing the possibility out there, let me know what you think. :]  
**


	8. Author Note

Hello hello hello!

Ah, been awhile since I've been on here huh? Well its with a heavy heart that I will be leaving this site permanently. Don't get me wrong, I love this site and the people and writers I've met on here. I will take the stories down one by one within the next few days maybe weeks.

But I have started independent publishing with Amazon Kindle and Scarred from The Untold Anthology was the first one to go live. It's available on Kindle if anyone would like to add it to their collection. :) I am still writing but I'm taking it to another level. Hopefully other readers will enjoy my writing as much as all of you have.

I'm sorry some of them will remain unfinished but I must move on to something different and hopefully more successful. :)


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